Ichigo's Worst Enemy
by whackybiscuit
Summary: Request by lasherluke. Yuzu is kidnapped by the Vandenreich and brainwashed by Yhwach, leading to Ichigo having to face his worst possible opponent: his own sister!
1. Into the Darkness

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Ichigo's Worst Enemy_

 _Chapter One: Into the Darkness_

 _ **Sometime after the first invasion….  
**_ **Karakura Town**

Carrying a bag full of groceries, Yuzu hummed merrily as she walked down the street. She'd been having a good day. She'd gotten an A on a test and her father had treated her by giving her money to buy ingredients for a splendid dinner. Yuzu could almost taste the sweet food that she was going to cook already. She smiled as she thought of her father and sister drooling at the mouth over her food. Over the past few months her cooking skills had refined. She'd thought about when she became older she could go to school to be a chef. "Ichigo would like that," she said before looking up at the sky.

Ichigo had been gone for a few weeks. Her father said that he was at a special training camp. Yuzu tried to put it out of her mind but she couldn't' dismiss the faint notion that her father was lying. Still, Yuzu knew that worrying about her brother would accomplish nothing. She would be content to wait.

Unlike her sister, Yuzu hadn't figured out that Ichigo was a Soul Reaper. In fact, her spiritual awareness paled in comparison to that of her twin sister, Karin; ghosts were but mere foggy apparitions that Yuzu could barely see. She supposed that it was for the best; she didn't want to be haunted by them like Ichigo had. As of now, her brother was off training at the Soul King's Palace with Squad Zero, leaving his sisters in the relative safety of the World of the Living.

Walking down the street, Yuzu saw her house in sight and sped up. The day was growing late and night was beginning to fall. Despite the street being devoid of any other pedestrians or traffic, Yuzu couldn't help shake this feeling that she was being watched. Turning around, she saw nobody behind her but felt shivers run down her spine. The town itself, usually a bustle of activity, had become eerily quiet.

"Hello?" she called out, feeling scared. She looked everywhere around her except behind her, never seeing how her shadow was becoming darker and stretching out as it the devil was behind her.

" _Yuzu."_

The youngest Kurosaki sibling gulped. There wasn't a person around but she knew someone had called her name. It didn't sound like her twin or her father. A cold chill ran up Yuzu's spine and she brought her arms to her chest. Deciding to run home as fast as she can, she started to sprint into a run. She got no further than five feet when she heard that low, chilling voice once more.

" _Yuzu."_

Hearing the mysterious voice again made Yuzu come to a halt. This time, she turned to where she correctly assumed where the voice was coming from and fought back the urge to scream. Her shadow was now stretched out along the wall of a nearby house. Compared to the other shadows next to it, Yuzu's shadow was as black as the night, as if Yuzu were peering into the center of a black hole. "What…what is this?" she mumbled in fright, wondering if somebody was trying to pull a prank on her or something.

" _Come."_

Yuzu screamed in terror as the shadow suddenly converged on her, spreading out like ink in water and wrapping around her in a curtain of darkness. Dropping her bag, Yuzu could do nothing but scream as the shadow drew her into the wall. As soon as her form had sank into the darkness, her sanguine captor faded into oblivion, leaving nobody the wiser. In his home, Isshin would sense Yuzu's sudden departure but it was too late for the father to do anything.

Yuzu was gone.

 _ **Later….**_

When the blanket of shadow was lifted, Yuzu finally opened her eyes and started to shiver. Looking around she saw what looked like something out of a nightmare. Before her stood a fortress of ominous design, spires surrounding it. When Yuzu turned around she saw a white city covered in frost. "What is this place?" she said out loud before hugging her arms. She could see her own breath and looked up at the sky, seeing nothing but starless night. "So cold…."

Scared and alone, Yuzu walked up the steps to the fortress and walked through the opened doors. Despite the voluminous size of the castle Yuzu didn't encounter anyone around….for about five seconds.

"INTRUDER!"

Yuzu squeaked and turned around. She started to panic when she saw multiple men in stark, white uniforms run towards her, sabers in hand. She didn't know who these men were but she didn't want to stick around to find out. She dashed away as fast as she could down the hallway and made a right turn. The fortress was a maze of hallways and Yuzu found herself completely lost after taking five turns too many. Panting, she ran down another hallway when she rounded a corner and ran straight into a pillar.

Except…it wasn't a pillar.

Staggering backwards, Yuzu looked up and shrieked when she saw that what she'd run into was a person. The man looked down at her with dark eyes filled with evil intent. She couldn't see the lower half of his face that was obscured by black mask with five spikes running along the center. His long, black hair cascaded down his shoulders and obscured some of his tall coat. " _ **Well now,**_ " the man said in an insidious voice as he observed the intruder. " _ **And who might you be, little mouse?**_ "

The person that Yuzu had bumped into was the F Sternritter and the man who'd almost killed Byakuya Kuchiki with his own Bankai: Äs Nödt.

Yuzu didn't know who this man was but his terrifying appearance alone told her that he was bad news. "Get away from me, you freak!" she screamed before running away from him, taking off down the hallway. When she ran headlong into something she looked up and screamed in horror when she saw that the man was in front of him.

" _ **You're afraid,**_ " the Sternritter noted as he reached out to grab the terrified Yuzu. " _ **Good.**_ "

"What are you doing?"

The Sternritter turned his head to see another of his fellow knights in the hallway. " _ **I'm catching a mouse that snuck in. What are you doing, Cang Du?**_ "

The I Sternritter walked over to him and scowled. "I heard screaming. Terrifying children now, are we?" He was always disgusted by the man and his abilities.

Narrowing his eyes, the F Sternritter glared at his compatriot. " _ **You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to pick a fight.**_ "

"You know how much His Majesty abhors violence between Sternritter. And besides, your little mouse had escaped."

When Äs Nödt turned back he saw that Yuzu had taken advantage of the argument and had ran away, leaving the two men alone. " _ **Hmph. Now look what you've done.**_ "

Cang Du shrugged. "You're the one who was distracted…."

 _ **Meanwhile….**_

Yuzu didn't know where to go. She felt like she was trapped in a cage and the walls were closing in. Feeling the chill of the icy fortress freeze her sweat-covered body, Yuzu knew she had to find a place that had warmer clothes before she froze.

Rounding a corner, Yuzu saw a huge pair of doors with a five-pointed star on them. Shivering, she wondered if she should take a peek inside. The decision was taken out of her hands when she heard the two Sternritter come closer. "I need to hide!" Throwing caution to the wind she opened up the doors and dashed inside, closing the doors behind her.

Making their way past the corner, Äs Nödt and Cang Du heard the doors shut and advanced, certain that the little intruder had gone through there. Walking up to the door, Cang Du put his hand on the handle to the door, ready to pull it open.

"What are you two up to?" came a voice from behind them. When the two men turned around they saw the Sternritter Grandmaster, Jugram Haschwalth, walking towards them. "You know it is forbidden to enter His Majesty's chambers while he's asleep."

"We've an intruder," Cang Du informed. "A girl. We believe she went through here."

The head of the Sternritter narrowed his eyes at his subordinates. "So what you're telling me is that the two of you couldn't catch one little girl? His Majesty will not be pleased."

" _ **Haschwalth, we believe that the girl is inside. It is imperative for us all that we remove her before His Majesty awakens,**_ " Äs Nödt pointed out, afraid of the consequences. " _ **Surely you, of all people, could enter without reproach.**_ "

The light-haired man shook his head. "I am the Grandmaster of the Sternritter, but I am not above our laws." His eyes turned to the door and he scowled. "I don't sense the presence of anyone in there but His Majesty."

"Perhaps it is because His Majesty's spiritual pressure is smothering hers?" Cang Du suggested.

Haschwalth raised a hand and turned around. "I have already made my judgment clear, Cang Du. Now search the rest of the castle," he ordered. The two men nodded and parted ways, leaving the doors unattended. Little did Haschwalth know that Cang Du was entirely correct and that Yuzu had indeed taken refuge inside.

Taking a deep breath, Yuzu looked around the darkened room. Thankfully the room was warmer than the rest of the castle and she felt heat flow back into her chilled arms. Looking around, her eyes took a moment to get used to the darkness before she realized she wasn't alone.

In front of her was a man, sitting in a large chair and wrapped in a dark cloak. Yuzu cautiously approached the man, not knowing if he was as dangerous as the men she'd encountered. She didn't know why but something about this man felt…familiar.

Walking up to the man as quietly as possible to not disturb him, Yuzu wondered what she should do. Rubbing her cold arms, she sat down at the man's feet, feeling tired from all her running. Exhaustion came over her and she put her head against the man's knee for support. "I'll…I'll rest my eyes for a moment…" she muttered before falling into a deep sleep, hearing that voice call out to her once more before she entered slumber.

" _Yuzu."_

 _ **The Next Morning….**_

Haschwalth opened the doors to the king's room as the sun began to signal the start of another day. "Your Majesty, forgive me but we were unable to locate an intr-" The second-in-command stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the sight before him.

The youth was asleep in the man's lap, his black cloak wrapped around her to keep her warm. "I found her, Haschwalth," Yhwach, the king of the Quincies said with a sly smile. "Imagine my surprise when I saw that I had a visitor when I awoke."

Haschwalth immediately dropped to his knee, realizing that Cang Du had been right. "Your Majesty! I'm so sorry, I-"

"Have no fears, Haschwalth," Yhwach admonished before patting Yuzu's head. "I called for her."

As if on cue, Yuzu started to wake up. She gasped when she saw the face of the mysterious man. "Who…who are you?" she gasped when she realized he was holding her gently in his arms.

The man smiled, knowing that another part of his plan was now complete. "I am Yhwach. Welcome home, Yuzu…my daughter."

To be continued


	2. Daughter of Darkness

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke. Zakath1, to answer your question this starts right after Ichigo heads for the Soul King's palace.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Torture! Don't like, don't read!**

 _Chapter Two: The Daughter of Darkness_

 **Silbern; Yhwach's chambers**

Yuzu looked up at the mysterious man in fear. She was cocooned in the man's cloak so she couldn't escape his embrace. "Who…who are you?" she asked in a timid, frightened voice.

"I am Yhwach," the man introduced. "I am your king, Yuzu Kurosaki."

"King?" Yuzu blinked. "And…how do you know my name?"

The man looked at Yuzu with a look that made her shiver. "I know much, Yuzu."

The man's second-in-command looked up, confused at this turn of events. "Your Majesty? You summoned Ichigo Kurosaki's sister to the Vandenreich?"

Unwrapping the girl from his cloak, Yhwach set the girl down and stood over her. "Yes. It is clear as day to me that we will never convince Ichigo to join his true family. So instead, we will have his sister join us."

"And what of the other twin?" Haschwalth asked.

"One will suffice."

Yuzu looked from one man to another frightened. She didn't know who these men were but she was scared of them. She didn't like this talk about her brother and sister and could tell from the white-haired man's sinister gaze that they didn't have friendly intentions on her family. Taking a step back, she looked up at Yhwach with scared eyes. "What are you talking about? What's this about my brother, Ichigo?"

Yhwach reached out with his large hand. Yuzu cringed and braced herself as he reached for her. "Be at peace, my daughter," Yhwach said as he put his hand atop Yuzu's head. "You're among family."

"Daughter?" Yuzu couldn't look up because of Yhwach's hand but if she could she'd be looking at him with confusion. "You're not my dad! My dad is-"

"Isshin Kurosaki," Yhwach finished. "He is merely your surrogate father. As is he to your siblings, Ichigo and Karin. Your true father stands before you."

"I don't…I don't understand." Even as she spoke, Yuzu started to feel dizzy. Yhwach's hand felt warm and her head felt like something was trying to pry its way into it. "I…don't...let…go…."

Smiling, Yhwach called to the blood within Yuzu's veins. Her mother's blood. His blood. Unlike her brother, whose blood was tainted by a Hollow, Yuzu's blood was far easier to call to. "Awaken," he said, calling out to Yuzu's blood. "Awaken, my daughter in the dark."

Yuzu's head became foggy as Yhwach awakened her Quincy blood. Lines of red trailed down her face and her body in a gridlike pattern. The girl couldn't move as she felt a rush of power soar through her, her mind blacking out as her world faded to pure white. Before she lost consciousness, she saw someone in the darkness, someone whom she knew very well.

"…Mom?" little Yuzu whispered before collapsing, Yhwach scooping her up in his arms.

Haschwalth watched the red lines recede and knew that Yuzu had been awakened to her full capabilities as a true Quincy. He wondered just what his king had in mind but didn't dare to vocalize his question. He knew his liege well enough to wait until Yhwach explained on his own time.

"It is done." Yhwach turned to his second-in-command and smiled. "I leave her education in your capable hands, Haschwalth. Take care not to do serious harm to her," he warned. "She is our precious new comrade after all."

The man bowed in acknowledgement and took Yuzu from him. "As you wish, Your Majesty. Is she to join the Sternritter?"

"Yes," Yhwach replied while turning away. His heavy footsteps following him as he left the room. "She will be the most important piece for the next invasion of the Soul Society…."

The door closed, leaving Haschwalth holding the unconscious Yuzu. He looked down at the girl, knowing what was expected of him. He was almost a little ashamed of what he was going to do to such a pure, innocent, little girl.

Almost.

 _ **Later….**_

Yuzu opened her eyes and raised her head. She remembered the man she'd fallen asleep next to putting his hand on her head, feeling a burning sensation throughout her entire body and then nothing. Looking around, she saw that she was in a small white room, frost covering the walls. Shivering, the girl tried to rise to her feet but found to her horror that she was bound to a chair, straps around her wrists and ankles. Her fear increased when she saw that there was an IV affixed to her arm, a bag of red blood hanging from a stand next to her. She started to panic and tried to struggle. "Help!" she screamed in terror. "Someone help me!"

"Stop screaming."

The girl ceased her struggling when Haschwalth stepped from behind her. "Who are you? Where am I? Let me go!" she pleaded, tears running down her face. The look on the man's face told her that whatever he had in store for her, it wasn't good. "I want to go home!"

The man shook his head. "No. This is your home now. You're one of us: A Quincy. Lord Yhwach has demanded that you become ready to join the Sternritter."

"What's a Quincy…and…and what's a Sternritter?"

"I shall educate you on our ways. But there is a matter to attend to first." Haschwalth narrowed his eyes. "Only those loyal to His Majesty may join us. Your ties to your brother and father must be severed. We planned on this education for your brother but His Majesty has decided to make due with you." He walked past Yuzu and picked up an object lying on the table. "Remember, the more you fight it, the greater the damage will be."

Yuzu shook in terror, wondering what the man had in mind for her and what this "education" would entail. Her fears were confirmed when she felt Haschwalth place a helmet over her head, the front obscuring her eyes. "Hey! Get this off of me! Please!" she pleaded.

Putting his hands on Yuzu's shoulders, Haschwalth leaned down and whispered into Yuzu's ear. "Yuzu Kurosaki, you are a Quincy." As he spoke, the helmet began to feed images into Yuzu's mind. She saw men and women dressed in stark white outfits, fighting with glowing blue bows and arrows. "Yhwach is our king. Every Quincy in existence shares his blood, including you, who inherited it from your mother, Masaki."

"My…mom was…a Quincy?" Yuzu asked, feeling lightheaded.

The images started to change. She saw men in black, wielding razor sharp swords attacking the Quincies. "A thousand years ago, the Soul Reapers massacred our people. They are our mortal enemies."

When the images of the Soul Reapers turned towards Yuzu she started to panic. "NO! Get me out of here!" she screamed, struggling only to suddenly scream in agonizing pain. "Ahhhhh!" The helmet sent signals of sharp pain into Yuzu's brain, making her entire body feel like it was being torn apart.

As he continued, Haschwalth reached for the IV stand and grabbed a pump dangling from it. The bag was filled with the blood of Yhwach. Squeezing it, he pumped Yhwach's blood into Yuzu's veins. "They are your enemies, Yuzu. You will fight them for His Majesty. You will kill them for His Majesty."

"No!" Yuzu protested, shaking her head. "I don't wanna hurt anyon-Ahhhhhh!" she screamed as the helmet sent more pain into her. "Make it stop!"

"Don't fight it," Haschwalth chastised. When Yuzu finally stopped resisting he continued. "You will fight for His Majesty. You will fight for the Vandenriech."

"Vanden…reich?"

"That is what we are, Yuzu." He leaned forward into the pained girl's ear and spoke softly. "What are you, Yuzu?" he asked. When the girl refused to answer he sighed. "Very well, the hard way it is."

"AHHHHHHHH!" the girl screamed, her every nerve assaulted by the helmet's torture. Slumping forward, tears began to fall down her face. "Please…no more…please…."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Haschwalth repeated the sentence, pumping more of Yhwach's blood into her. "What are you?"

The blood of Yhwach brought his voice, whispering into Yuzu's ear while she writhed in pain. " _Yuzu. You are my blood. You are my daughter,"_ the voice whispered. " _You are a Quincy."_

Before she knew it, Yuzu was repeating the words, her mind in too much pain to raise anymore resistance. "I…am a…Quincy."

Haschwalth gave a rare smile, caressing the girl's cheek softly. "Good let us continue."

For hours, Haschwalth furthered Yuzu's indoctrination. Yuzu was treated to all sorts of horrifying images. Images of a crazed man with blue hair looking at her with the intent of cutting her open for dissection and another man with a mane of wild black hair with a wicked grin as he brought his sword down on Yuzu. Haschwalth explained who these men were and that Yuzu was expected to destroy them as well as the other Soul Reaper captains, explaining who they were. All the while Haschwalth continued to pump the corruptive blood into Yuzu, feeding the girl Yhwach's commanding voice.

Yuzu tried to fight it. She didn't want to do this, to hurt or kill anyone. She'd been raised to be sweet and gentle. But even the slightest thought of dissent made the helmet inflict pain on Yuzu, her voice going hoarse from screaming in sheer unadulterated agony. As the hours rolled by Yuzu was forced to repeat line after line. With each recitation she said the words with less and less hesitation.

"I am a Quincy."

"I will fight Soul Reapers."

"I will kill Soul Reapers."

"I exist to serve His Majesty."

Just when Yuzu thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did. The next image forced into her brain was that of her brother, Ichigo, who was in the garb of a Soul Reaper. "Ichi…go?"

"Your brother is a Soul Reaper, Yuzu. He will not bow before His Majesty. Like those he follows he will be crushed." He neared Yuzu's ear again and started to whisper menacingly. "Your brother is far more than a Soul Reaper. He is a monster. Within him dwells a beast known as a Hollow."

Yuzu couldn't help but scream when she saw the image of her brother warp and become horrific. Ichigo was now a white-covered monster, a horned mask on his head and a hole in his chest. He looked at Yuzu with bloodlust in his eyes. "No! Not Ichigo! That's not my brother!" she shouted, crying out when the helmet attacked her.

"He is your enemy, Yuzu. Say it," Haschwalth commanded, squeezing the pump to send more blood into Yuzu. He had to be careful and not overfill Yuzu with blood or she might die.

Once again, Yhwach's voice drifted into Yuzu's mind. For a moment it felt like the man was right behind her, his hands on Yuzu's shoulders. " _Your brother is my enemy. He is my son trapped forever in darkness. He must be destroyed."_

"I…chi…go…."

"He is our enemy," Haschwalth repeated.

" _He is your enemy,_ "

"You must kill him."

" _You will kill him._ "

Over and over again Haschwalth and Yhwach fed those lines into Yuzu's brain. She struggled and pleaded, screaming in agony the entire time. She didn't want to hurt her brother more than anything. But the horrifying image of Ichigo in his Hollowfied state loomed over her and she felt a clawed hand at her throat. The Hollow pulled his mask off, revealing the face of her brother who's black and yellow eyes stared down at Yuzu.

The scream Yuzu let out was inhuman. Haschwalth was taken aback when Yuzu's spiritual pressure suddenly skyrocketed, making him step backwards in alarm. Yuzu glowed blue as she instinctively lashed out at the apparition, trying desperately to kick or push it away. The Sternritter Grandmaster stared in amazement as Yuzu broke the straps around her ankles and started kicking at air, screaming at the horror the helmet was showing her. ' _I understand why you were so interested in her, Your Majesty,'_ Haschwalth noted as he turned off the machine, knowing that Yuzu was on the verge of having a complete mental breakdown.

Yuzu slumped in her chair as the image of the demonic Ichigo vanished, the pain in her head clearing. When Haschwalth pulled away the helmet Yuzu sobbed, unable to figure out what was what anymore. She didn't want to believe that was Ichigo but the face was unmistakable.

Releasing her wrists, Haschwalth unplugged the IV and knelt down, wiping her eyes with a rag. "Yuzu," he addressed, looking at her with a stern gaze. "Who are you?" he asked one last time.

"I am a Quincy."

Nodding, the man continued. "Who are your enemies?"

"My enemies are the Soul Reapers."

"Whom do you serve?"

"I serve His Majesty, Yhwach."

Narrowing his eyes, Haschwalth asked the final, most important question. "What is your brother to you?"

Tears running down her face, Yuzu said the words Haschwalth had been hoping for.

"My brother is my enemy. My brother is a monster!"

Standing up, the white-haired man nodded. "Good. It seems your education is complete. Now on to the next step…."

Yuzu looked up when she saw Haschwalth reach into his pocket and offer her something. She saw that it was a star-shaped cross with a circle running around it. "What step?" she asked as she took the pendant.

"Your training."

To be continued


	3. The New Sternritter

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Three: The New Sternritter_

 _ **Days Later….  
**_ **Silbern**

The room was small with only a bed and a dresser with a mirror on top of it. In the bed lay Yuzu, her small chest taking deep breaths as she slept on. Every once in a while she'd let out a sleepy groan. She wore a white nightgown provided by Haschwalth and his assistant.

The door opened and her "tutor", Haschwalth, entered the room with his female assistant behind him. The man's presence disturbed the girl's rest and she was roused from slumber. Sitting up, she turned to see the light-haired man and yawned while wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Haschwalth?" she muttered.

Turning to his assistant, Haschwalth silently nodded. The assistant walked over to Yuzu and helped her out of bed. The girl wobbled as she stood up on her feet, the assistant making sure she didn't fall over. Yuzu's vision blurred from dizziness but it passed quickly. She noted how she was quickly getting over her fatigue from Haschwalth's training.

In order to bring out Yuzu's potential Yhwach left her Quincy training to Haschwalth, letting the man's ability to give power to bolster the young Kurosaki's abilities. As well as continuing her indoctrination the man had begun on teaching Yuzu to harness her abilities. The man began teaching her the basics of harnessing Reishi before helping her summon her bow before teaching her more advanced techniques.

Among his other responsibilities as well as being Yhwach's advisor Haschwalth now also had to look after Yuzu's wellbeing, making sure she was properly dressed and ready since she was too exhausted when not training to do it herself. It felt a little like babysitting but Haschwalth knew that Yhwach always had a reason for his decisions and he knew his place. Haschwalth turned his head as his assistant sat Yuzu down on a stool in front of the mirror and undid the ties to her nightgown. He respected the girl's modesty to not want to embarrass her by seeing her in her underwear; he wouldn't stoop to Buzz-B's level. He waited until Yuzu was fully dressed in a Vandenreich Soldat uniform.

Yuzu whined a little as the woman put the heavy boots on her feet. She was okay with the tight-fitting attire but the boots made her feel like her feet were made out of lead. Once Yuzu was fully dressed the girl stood up and turned to face the Sternritter Grandmaster. Staring at the girl, Haschwalth repeated the words that he'd carved into Yuzu's heart. Every day he'd hammer home his mantra to ensure that Yuzu's education stuck. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm a Quincy," she responded.

"Who is your king?"

"His Majesty, Yhwach."

"And what is your purpose?"

"To serve my king."

The Grandmaster of the Sternritter gave a curt nod. With each day Yuzu would repeat the lines with no signs of hesitation. ' _His Majesty will be pleased when I present her. She may have a stray, dissident thought but the education has taken root inside her subconscious. She is one of us in body and mind. As for soul…'_ he thought, ' _That comes later…..'_

He nodded at his assistant who nodded in return. Bidding her master and his ward farewell, she left the room. Haschwalth headed for the door and Yuzu followed him out of her room. For Yuzu, life in Silbern was a haze. She hadn't been out of castle since Yhwach had summoned her and the palace had few windows so she had little way of knowing how long she'd been here. Days? Weeks? Months? She couldn't tell and she was far too afraid of Haschwalth to ask.

Although he wasn't abusive to Yuzu, Haschwalth had a rather fearsome demeanor about him. He gave off the air that commanded obedience and that dissidence was intolerable. Once, early on in her training when Yuzu asked about her family and whether or not she'd see them again he'd narrowed his eyes and stared at Yuzu until she'd dropped the subject, reminding her that the Vandenreich was her family now. Any further questions about her former Human life were stamped out as well, hammering home that Silbern was now the only place she belonged.

As they walked down the hallway Yuzu noted how she didn't see anyone. Ever since her run in with Cang Du and Äs Nödt she'd yet to meet any of her fellow Quincy aside from Haschwalth. Yuzu figured it was best not to ask.

They reached their usual practice chamber, a large empty room covered in white frost. Yuzu couldn't fight back the chill as they entered; even with her thick uniform it was still cold. They walked to the center of the room and stood across from each other. "Today there will be no lessons," Haschwalth informed her. "Only tests."

"Tests?"

Haschwalth's narrowed eyes told Yuzu to shush. "You've grasped the basics of Quincy combat but your spiritual pressure is still weak. It is not on the level of your fellow Sternritter. It is like the glow of a weak candle. We need to turn it into a wildfire."

Yuzu took a step back as Haschwalth drew his sword. Her hand immediately drew her cross from her pocket and she summoned her bow. While it wasn't impressive, taking the appearance of a glowing short bow, Yuzu had learned how to with the item well enough. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked out of fear.

"Survive."

The girl gave an involuntary squeak when Haschwalth advanced on her. She fired once but the man deflected the strike with ease. Yuzu ducked when the man slashed at her only to yelp when Haschwalth kneed her in the face. The young girl sprawled onto the floor and fought back tears. Despite days of training she'd yet to develop any tolerance to pain; her sister was the tough twin, not her.

She rolled out of the way when Haschwalth stabbed his saber into the ground. She fired more shots at Haschwalth but they were either dodged or deflected. Back and forth they went, Haschwalth slashing at Yuzu and Yuzu shooting at Haschwalth. But Yuzu did not have the millennia of training that Haschwalth did nor the stamina to last. Despite her extensive training regiment, she found herself running out of breath, her arrows not packing as much punch as before.

Her exhaustion gave Haschwalth an opening to kick her in her side. Rolling, Yuzu found herself in a corner with her tutor bearing down on her. "Get up," Haschwalth commanded, his sword raised up high.

Tears ran down Yuzu's face from the terror before her. Her legs refused to move and her arms felt like lead. "Please! I can't!" she pleaded. She knew what was to be expected of her but her body could only go so far.

Haschwalth was unyielding, his eyes looking at Yusu with little remorse. "Don't make me repeat myself, Yuzu. Get up. Fight. You are a Quincy."

In a fit of blind panic, Yuzu drew her bow and fired at Haschwalth point-blank. But the arrow was so pitiful it winked out of existence the moment it was released. "I'm sorry…" she mumbled, trembling from head to toe.

"Pathetic. Even after all I've done you're as fragile as a leaf. His Majesty was clear, Yuzu: if I have to be hurt you, so be it." Ignoring Yuzu's pleas for mercy, he brought his sword down.

Yuzu's eyes widened to their limit as the broadsword descended. Time seemed to slow down as the weapon came down on her. Her pupils shrank as a scream erupted from her mouth.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Yuzu pulsed blue as her body instantly absorbed Reishi from around her. It wasn't enough to stop Haschwalth from bringing his sword down on her shoulder, but it was enough. Haschwalth saw the red grid-like marks of Blut Vene cascade down her neck to her shoulder and protect her from Haschwalth's strike. His blow bouncing off Yuzu like hitting rubber, Haschwalth staggered back and smiled. Yuzu's Blut Vene was strong, as expected of Masaki Kurosaki's daughter. But she'd only been only to avoid his attacks with scratches before; now, the sudden shock had caused her powers to grow. But his pride evaporated when Yuzu's bow materialized into a sold shape, forming a beautiful silver bow.

Yuzu's arrows were no longer weak when she fired. Her blue arrows shot out of her bow faster and with much more precision. When Haschwalth deflected her attacks this time, he found it far harder than before. Every blow that hit his blade made him skid backwards until he hit the wall. ' _Excellent. Her Heilig Pfeil are so much powerful than the average Quincy's. And for her Blut Vene to block my strike completely. She's Ichigo Kurosaki's sister after all…'_

Yuzu wasn't about to give Haschwalth an inch. Her breath recovered, she fired arrow after arrow at the man, hoping to punch a hole through him. This man had hurt her and she was going to make him pay. Shedding the innocent and shy shell, Yuzu let out a yell as she attacked the man. "RAAAAHHHH!" she shouted at the top of her lungs…until Haschwalth disappeared from her sight.

"That is enough."

A hand touched her wrist, stopping her. Yuzu turned to see Haschwalth standing next to her. The look on his face told her to desist, which she begrundingly obeyed. Panting, she dispelled her bow and bent over. "I'm…I'm sorry…" she wheezed, her chest heaving. Sweat dripped down her face from the heat of her thick uniform. "I…I completely lost it…."

"An adequate response in the face of danger," Haschwalth gently said. Helping her up, he took Yuzu's hand and led her towards the door. "That is enough for today. I will take you back to your room to rest. I will inform His Majesty that you're ready."

"For what?" Yuzu asked. "And…where are the other Quincies?" she asked, figuring that it'd be okay to ask questions now that Haschwalth was in a good mood.

"Your powers are young; they are like that of an infant. You've grown stronger but the next invasion is upon us. In order for your full potential to be awakened, a good enough shock was needed. Now that you're spiritual pressure is strong enough to challenge the officers of the Soul Society, it's time for your initiation. As to your fellow Sternritter, you'll meet them soon. As our newest comrade, your training needed to be uninterrupted. His Majesty forbade any and all Sternritter from approaching you so that your education would be without distractions."

Haschwalth left out a very important reason. Because Yuzu was Ichigo's sister Yhwach knew that some of the Sternritter would try to pull a stunt in order to use her against her brother. While Yhwach was planning that exact same thing, however, he didn't want his precious daughter to become "spoiled" by her brethren.

They walked back to the room and Yuzu sat on the bed. Haschwalth stood in the doorway and nodded to his ward. "I will have my attendant bring you food. In the meantime I will inform His Majesty of your progress." The door closed with a click, leaving Yuzu alone in her room.

Unbuttoning her coat by a few buttons to let some of the cool air hit her, Yuzu laid down on the bed and sighed. She looked at her hand and summoned her Blut Vene. She couldn't remember her mother that well since she'd lost her when she was little but ever since she had her powers awakened she felt as if her mother was within her.

But Yuzu's mind turned to her brother, the person that she'd been shown the truth of by Haschwalth. ' _Is what he said really true?'_ she thought. ' _Is my brother really a monster?'_

But that thought came with a toll. Yuzu cringed as a jolt of pain hit her head and an image popped into her mind, showing her the monster that had become her brother. In addition to the truth of what Ichigo was, Haschwalth had told her about his double life as a Soul Reaper, showing Yuzu just how little she knew her brother.

The love Yuzu once had for her older brother was slowly morphing into anger and resentment. The thought that he was keeping such a secret from her and the rest of her family made her heart fill with anger, especially since she'd learned her father was a Soul Reaper as well.

The door opened, breaking Yuzu's thoughts. She sat up in bed expecting Haschwalth or his assistant only to find that it wasn't. She saw four new faces she'd never seen before with wildly different appearences.

"Hello!" the pink-haired girl greeted with a wave. She wore a standard Vandenreich uniform but with puffed-up shoulders and a frilly skirt. "I'm Meninas."

"I'm Giselle," the girl next to her greeted, her black hair tied at the top to look like an antennae. She wore a trench coat with long sleeves.

"I'm Liltotto," the shortest of the bunch replied, a small girl with short blond hair. She was busy munching on a candy bar, trying not to get crumbs on her trench coat and skirt.

"And I'm Candice," replied the woman with lime-green hair. She was the most scandalous of the quartet, wearing short shorts and wearing her jacket in a way that exposed her stomach and a lot of her cleavage. "We came to see our new little comrade."

Yuzu blushed as the four surrounded her, feeling like a bug under a lot of magnifying glasses. "Hi, I'm Yuzu…" she meekly replied. Aside from the two men who'd tried to capture her and Haschwalth, she'd no notion of how other Quincies acted. "Um…I thought that His Majesty…."

Taking another bite of her candy, Liltotto swallowed before explaining. "His Majesty has ended your quarantine. He wants you to be more comfortable around your new family now that Haschwalth has given his approval."

Meninas made Yuzu squeak when she wrapped her arms around Yuzu and hugged her. "Oh! You're so cute! I heard that Ichigo's sister was a cutie but the rumors seemed too good to be true!"

The mention of Ichigo made another jolt of pain hit Yuzu who cringed in response. Candice narrowed her eyes at Yuzu's expression. She, like the rest of the Sternritter, was fully aware of her education; she and just about everyone could hear Yuzu's screaming. Tapping Meninas on the shoulder, Candice stopped her from crushing Yuzu. "Heh, Meninas? Mind giving her some air?"

"Oh, right. Sorry…."

Yuzu took a big gulp of air before she heard a rustling beside her. Turning her head, she saw Giselle rummaging through a large bag she'd brought with her. She turned back to Liltotto. "So…what do Quincies do for fun around here?"

"We all have our different hobbies. Candy?" She offered a bar to Yuzu. When she shook her head she unwrapped it and started to eat it. "Meninas likes to decorate. Gigi…" she raised an eyebrow at The Zombie, "likes weird stuff. Candice likes to flirt with the boys here. And our friend Bambi likes to kill 'em. You know, usual stuff."

"So…why are you here?" Yuzu was a little unnerved by how nonchalantly Liltotto could discuss someone killing people.

Candice took hold of Yuzu's hand and pulled her off the bed. "To give you a makeover. You must be dying in that stuffy uniform of Haschwalth's." She led Yuzu over to the stool and sat her down in front of the mirror. "You must be exhausted, having to deal with Haschwalth day and night. You need a little girl-time."

"So...this is girl-time in the Vandenreich?"

"Of course!" Meninas exclaimed as she and Gigi pulled clothing out of the bag. "Let's get started.

After an hour Yuzu felt like a new Quincy. The Femritters had taken away her pants and given her a skirt that came down to her knees. Her boots had been replaced with small shoes that reminded Yuzu of ballet slippers; she was grateful to be free of the clunky, heavy boots Haschwalth had given her. Her top was still a regular uniform, only with a large black, fluffy collar and shorter sleeves. Her new attire was capped off by a belt with a heart-shaped buckle on it.

"Now you're one of us!" Meninas cheerfully replied as she looked Yuzu over.

"By the way, you girls mentioned Bambi? Where is she?" Yuzu asked while admiring herself.

"Probably busy killing some poor hunk to get out of her mood," Candice offhandedly said. "We're used to it by now."

The happy moment was interrupted when the door opened up. Haschwalth walked in to find the four Sternritters surrounding Yuzu. "What are you doing?" he asked with an irritated voice.

The four stiffened up as their commander stared at them. "We were just making Yuzu more comfortable," Candice said, putting her hands on her hips. "His Majesty gave us permission to talk to her. Or do you want her cooped up in this room all day?" she challenged. She was not about to let Haschwalth walk over her.

"She is not a child to be coddled." He looked over at Yuzu, who looked down in embarrassment. It was clear that her tutor didn't approve of her new appearance. But if he had an opinion he didn't vocalize it. Walking over to Yuzu he grabbed her hand and led her away from the colorful four. "Yuzu, we're leaving. His Majesty demands your presence."

"O-okay." Yuzu waved to the four as they left the room. "Bye!"

"You should not get too comfortable with them," Haschwalth warned as he led Yuzu down the hallway. "The other Sternritter tend to be opportunistic vultures."

"But they seemed so nice!"

"For now."

Yuzu silently followed the blonde-haired man until she was led to a familiar pair of doors. "His Majesty is inside. Enter," Haschwalth commanded.

Bowing, Yuzu pushed open the doors and headed inside the antechamber. Haschwalth closed the doors behind her, leaving her alone.

The man in black sat on his throne while observing his new daughter. He could feel the thrum of her power within his blood and knew that Haschwalth had not been idle with the task of grooming the new Quincy. True, she was still unrefined but there was still time to make this unpolished diamond shine. She would be important in his bid to destroy the Soul Society.

But first there was a matter to attend to.

"Come, Yuzu," he said in his deep, booming voice. "Stand before me, my daughter."

Yuzu nervously approached her king. She remembered the feeling she had when she was in his arms and wrapped up in his cloak. It was awe…and fear. The man was like staring into the abyss, powerful yet unforgiving. Haschwalth had made no bones in telling her of the strict rules that Yhwach enforced and the punishment for breaking them: death.

When Yuzu stood before Yhwach she kneeled before him. "Your Majesty."

Rising from his throne, Yhwach approached the girl and put his hand on her head. "Who are you, my daughter of darkness?"

"My name is Yuzu Kurosaki. I am a Quincy."

His rough hand patted her head in an almost paternal gesture. "What is your purpose?"

"To serve you, Lord Yhwach."

"Who are your enemies?"

"The Soul Society and all who side with them…" Yuzu balled her hands into fists as she continued. "Even my brother."

"Yes, Ichigo." Yhwach took his hand off of her head and sat back down on his throne. "He will be an obstacle in my way. Your duty is to remove this obstacle." Reaching onto the stand beside him, Yhwach handed her a small cup. "Yuzu, you shall be the one who will purge Ichigo's dark soul with holy light. You shall be a Sternritter."

Yuzu looked down at the small cup. It was the kind that she and her sister would drink tiny sips of alcohol in during festivals at home. Inside was a dark red liquid, giving off a murky reflection. "Do I…."

"Drink," Yhwach commanded. "Drink and the pact will be sealed."

Knowing her duty, Yuzu raised the cup to her lips and closed her eyes. She struggled to not cough as the bitter taste of the liquid went past her throat. She recognized the coppery taste and realized she was drinking blood. Yuzu did her best not to gag at the taste or cough and drank it all until the cup was empty. Taking a breath of air she handed the cup back to Yhwach.

"To destroy your brother, Yuzu, onto you I give you the letter…A. You will be more than just a Sternritter. You will be my angel of retribution." He stood up once more and looked down at the teen.

"Rise, Sternritter Yuzu Kurosaki."

To be continued


	4. Brother vs Sister

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Four: Brother vs Sister_

 _ **Sometime later….  
**_ **Soul Society/Vandenreich**

Ichigo dashed through the air towards the tower in the distance. "I've gotta stop him!"

The boy had arrived in the Soul Society, or what's left of it, after completing his training with Squad Zero. He'd saved Kenpachi from certain death at the hands of the female Sternritters who were on the verge of killing him but in the midst of his battle with them they were interrupted by Yhwach.

To his horror, Ichigo realized that he'd inadvertently destroyed the defenses separating the Soul Society from the Royal Palace. Yhwach informed Ichigo of his intention on using Ichigo's blunder to invade the Palace and kill the Soul King. While his friends held off the Sternritters who wanted to kill Ichigo he sped off to stop him.

He saw the Quincy Emperor standing atop of the tower and was relieved to see that he wasn't too late to stop him. "Yhwach!" he shouted, swords in hand.

The man in black looked down at his "son". "So you've come, Ichigo."

Standing on top of a smaller building, Ichigo stared up at the man, anger filling him up. This was the man who'd been responsible for the death of his mother, who'd thrown the Seireitei in chaos and had put his friend's lives in danger.

"I applaud you, Ichigo, for making it this far. But this is where we part ways, my son," Yhwach addressed, looking down at Ichigo with an indifferent look on his face. "We will not be seeing each other again as I no longer need you anymore."

Ichigo bristled. "How could you possibly know I'd let the defenses down to the Palace?" he shouted up at the king.

"You misinterpret my words, Ichigo. Yes, you opened the gates to the Soul King's palace for me. But I foresaw that outcome when I left you during the previous invasion. I have no need for a disobedient child," he said as a person walked up beside him. "You've forgotten something very important, Ichigo."

A figure wrapped in a white cloak appeared next to Yhwach. Ichigo saw that the person was tiny, barely half the size of the king standing besidehim. "Who's that? And what have I forgotten?" he asked. "Is that another Sternritter?"

"Your mother was a Quincy," Yhwach said. "You share her blood. My blood. You know this. But you've forgotten something important…" his lips formed a smile as he turned to the newcomer. "You are not the only child of Masaki Kurosaki. I am grateful to your mother. I'd thought that you would be the one who'd stand at my side. Luckily for me…" he nodded at the figure at his side, "Your mother gave me a spare."

The figure removed their hood and revealed their identity to Ichigo. Time stood still for the boy as he stared in horror, praying this was all just a bad dream. The person standing next to Yhwach was somebody that Ichigo never thought would be a part of this. "Yu…Yu…" he choked as he continued to stare, his heart thumping madly in his chest.

Standing next to Yhwach and Haschwlath in a Vandenreich uniform of her own was his younger sister, Yuzu.

"YUZU?!" Ichigo screamed, praying that this was all some trick. "Why are you here?"

The king wrapped in black turned to his protégé. "Do you have anything ot say to your former brother?" he asked. "It will be the last time you'll see him."

The brainwashed Yuzu looked down at her brother with contempt he didn't know she had. "No," she said as she revealed her Quincy cross, glaring at her brother while she summoned her silver bow. "He's not my brother."

"Yuzu!" Ichigo pleaded, not understanding why his sister was with Yhwach. "What are you doing here?!" He tensed when Yuzu drew her bow back and pointed her deadly arrow at him, the head glowing blue with spirit energy.

"Licht Regen."

A storm of blue arrows filled Ichigo's vision while she, Haschwalth and the Emperor were engulfed in a white light. "YUZUUUUUU!" Ichigo screamed before he was assaulted by the swarm. Just when he was about to become a pincushion he felt a hand grab him and yank him away.

The next few moments were a blur for Ichigo. Everything spun as he and his rescuer were caught in the shockwave, being tossed about like a leaf in the wind. When his vision finally stopped spinning, he found hinmself on his back in the middle of a pile of rubble. "What happened?" he groaned as he sat up, nursing the lump on his head.

"Yhwach's gone," said a voice behind him. "And so is Yuzu."

Getting up, Ichigo turned around and saw his father, Isshin Kurosaki. "Dad!" He grabbed his father's shoulders and clutched them tightly. "What was that? Was that really Yuzu? Why…why was she with Yhwach?" He let go and looked up at the sky, to the palace where Yuzu was now at. "What is going on?"

Sighing, Isshin merely looked at his only son with the eyes only a failed father could give. "This is all my fault. I gave into wishful thinking. I thought that neither Yuzu nor Karin had any of your mother's talent and that Yhwach would focus on you. But…" he turned away with shame. "The day after you were taken back to the King's Palace, Yuzu went to the store to get groceries. She never came home."

"Yhwach?" Ichigo surmised.

Isshin nodded grimly. "The Vandenreich must have used their shadow powers to nab her. I searched everywhere for Yuzu with Yoruichi but we never found her. When I found her grocery bag near home I had to finally accept that she'd been kidnapped."

Ichigo was about to rail at his father, demanding how he could've not have seen that Yuzu had as much her mother's blood as Ichigo's when he saw the tears in Isshin's eyes. "Dad…."

Isshin looked back up to the ruins of the tower Yuzu had been on and wiped his eyes. "I'd held out for so long that I was wrong. Yuzu…." Isshin tried very hard not to cry, knowing he'd failed to protect his little girl.

The Substitute could tell that his father was taking this hard. The look in Isshin's eyes told him that the man blamed himself for letting Yuzu be kidnapped. He remembered the look in Yuzu's eyes, the shadows of anger and disgust lurking within them. ' _What did they do to you, Yuzu?'_ Ichigo remembered how Yhwach said he was going to drag him back and "educate" him in order for him to join their forces and shuddered. In an instant, he understood everything. When Yhwach realized that his chance to ensnare Ichigo had disappeared after he learned of his origins he simply went down the totem pole to his next of kin. His hands balled into fists as rage filled his soul. ' _Yhwach! What did you do to my little sister?!'_ he thought angrily. ' _Is my family just pawns on a chessboard to you?!'_

Ichigo was snapped out of his doldrums when his father put a hand on his shoulder, having gotten a grip of his emotions. "Ichigo, come with me." He pointed to the distance. "Kisuke's set up shop there. He'll help us get back up to the King's Palace." He looked at his son with the look only a determined father could give. "We're going to get Yuzu back. Then we're going to make Yhwach pay."

Nodding, Ichigo followed his father to Kisuke. But along the way, Ichigo couldn't get the dark question out of his mind. The question gnawed at his self-confidence, plaguing him with doubt.

' _Is there anything left of Yuzu to save?'_

To be continued


	5. Inner Turmoil

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Five: Inner Turmoil_

 _ **A short while later….  
**_ **Soul King's Palace**

Yuzu stood next to Haschwalth while she watched her king go into battle. Nearby she saw the Quincy's Royal Guard finish off the remainder of Squad Zero, the final member, Ichibei, fought Yhwach. She was trapped with the rest of her people inside the Cage of Life that Squad Zero had crafted for them. Yuzu didn't know whether to engage the enemy with the Royal Guard but Haschwalth bid her to stay by his side, stating that it was the Royal Guard's role to defeat Squad Zero.

Yuzu's role would be fulfilled later…

The small Sternritter stood by while the others fought, kept on the sidelines by Haschwalth's guiding hand. When Tenjiro had attacked them with his hot springs, Haschwalth kept her close to him, keeping his ward from danger since they were within the W Sternritter's range to be protected by his power.

When Nianzol died a bloody death, Yuzu didn't even flinch. Death was no stranger to the young maiden, unfortunately. She was present several times when Yhwach executed an Arrancar that was conscripted into service and was made to watch several lesser Quincies be executed for fighting. Haschwalth would punish her every time she flinched or cringe, the shirt on her back hiding several whip marks that had been brutally delivered until the girl was no longer sickened at bloodshed. Even the violent decapitations of the Arrancars slain by her king made her feel no emotion. She felt numb to death now.

Yuzu watched her king, awed by his power as he did battle against the Soul Society's best. "He's so strong…" she murmured. She'd never seen Yhwach do battle before. Most of the time she'd never so much as seen him get out of his throne. Her admiration turned to horror, however, when she saw Osho smash Yhwach through the wooden rampart. "Your Majesty!" she shrieked in horror as the black-robed king fell to the earth far below them.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Yuzu turned and saw Haschwalth looking down at her, a scathing look in his eyes. "Why do you despair?" the light-haired man asked his protégé. "Our Majesty will not fall. Ever."

The young Sternritter's attention was diverted back to Yhwach when she saw a huge blast of energy. Turning back, she saw her king back on the rampart, standing before Osho. However, she saw that there was something different about the imposing Yhwach that was different from before. In addition, his spiritual pressure was almost unreadable, as if he was here but also in a thousand other places. "What…is this?"

"The Almighty." Yuzu turned to her mentor while the Sternritter Grandmaster watched. "Our King's Shrift: A. Our thousand-year prayer has finally been answered. His Majesty has finally recovered his powers." Seeing the confusion on his ward's face, Haschwalth elaborated, "The Almighty gives His Majesty complete omniscience. All powers that he sees fall before him. Now, he is invincible."

The battle became decided very quickly. Despite Osho's best technique, Yhwach crushed him like an ant, blasting him to pieces. Yuzu watched Osho fall and put a hand over her heart. "A…" she repeated.

"Yes. You share His Majesty's Shrift. Do you understand?" Haschwalth asked. "His Majesty chose you, our last Sternritter, to share his Schrift. That's because, Yuzu Kurosaki, you are by far the most powerful of us and the only Quincy capable of surpassing him."

The two were interrupted by a loud, boisterous voice from behind them. "Really? This little girl is that strong?" The two turned to see the four Royal Guardsmen walking up to them, Squad Zero having fallen before their renewed might.

"That's correct, Gerard," Haschwalth commented, addressing the tallest of the bunch, a large man wearing a cape and a Valkyrie helmet. "Don't misjudge her appearance."

Lillie, the X Sternritter, nodded at his Grandmaster in deferment. If Haschwalth said that Yuzu could surpass them, he was in no position to challenge such a statement.

Yuzu recognized one of them. It was the D Sternritter, Askin Nak La Varr. The thin man chuckled as he and Yuzu stared at each other. "Well, now I feel silly for scaring the daylights out of you, little lady," he said, patting her on the head.

"Hi, Askin…" Yuzu meekly replied before she remembered something crucial. When she went with Yhwach and Haschwalth through the portal to the Soul King's Palace, she assumed that the other Sternritter would be taken with them. But so far she'd only seen the Royal Guard and Nianzol emerge from Yhwach's shadow. "Wait…where's Candi? And Mini? And the others?" she asked, turning her head to Haschwalth.

It was Lillie who answered her. "They are all dead," he informed her. "His Majesty sacrificed them to revive us with the Auswahlen." He frowned when the girl's face turned sad. "Don't grieve for them," he said harshly. "They were not chosen to continue on. We were. And so were you."

"As he said, Yuzu," came the Quincy King's voice from behind them. All heads turned to see Yhwach return to them, his multi-pupiled eyes staring at them. "They were unfit to join us, useful only as means to an end. Don't forget that."

"Your Majesty," Gerard spoke up, "What do we do about the Soul Reapers down below?"

"Nothing for now. We will destroy them all when the time comes," Yhwach simply said. His eyes glanced towards Yuzu and he put a hand on her head. "All of them."

"Yes…" Yuzu mindlessly said, her head fogging up as the words she'd repeated so many times came back to her. "I will destroy the Soul Reapers…I will destroy Ichigo."

"Very good, my daughter," Yhwach replied. Turning away, he moved to leave the cage, flanked by the Haschwalth and Yuzu.

The four Royal Guardsmen watched them leave before Askin said what they were all thinking. "That was creepy…" he said.

"Shut up, Askin," both Lillie and Gerard said before following them.

 _ **Later…  
**_ **Soul King's Chambers**

The throne room was in the midst of pandemonium. Ichigo, Isshin, Orihime, Chad, Ganju and Yoruichi had gathered to stop Yhwach, only for the king to trick Ichigo into killing the king himself. Out of the blue though, the king's right hand, Mimihagi, appeared in an attempt to save him. Before Yhwach had the chance to finish off the king, Ichigo stood in his way.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo roared.

A blast of black energy burst towards the king but it had little to no effect. Yoruichi took advantage of Ichigo and the Quincy King crossed swords as Ichigo stared daggers at Yhwach. "What…did you do…to MY SISTER!" Ichigo shouted into his face.

Yhwach merely stared down at Ichigo like he was a disobedient child. "I instructed her, no more no less," he replied.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Ichigo demanded to know.

The king merely pushed Ichigo away. "I was willing to offer you the chance to serve me, Ichigo. That time has passed. I should be grateful to your mother though for giving birth to a more suitable child than you."

Ichigo saw red as he charged Yhwach. "HOW DARE YOU!" He swung his sword to cut Yhwach's head off but he saw something out of the corner of his eye and was forced to stop his attack. He moved his head out of the way to dodge the blue arrow that narrowly missed hitting him right between the eyes. Ichigo's heart thumped in his chest as a figure put herself between him and Yhwach, cutting Ichigo and his friends off from saving the king.

"Yuzu…"

The younger of the two siblings drew another arrow and pointed it at her brother. "Monster…" she breathed.

"Yu-"

Ichigo had no chance of finishing the word when Yuzu fired. Over and over again she shot at him, her attacks clearly meant to kill him. "Die…" While Yuzu dealt with her brother, Yhwach turned around and advanced towards the barrier that Yoruichi had set up…

Yuzu only stopped firing when Isshin put himself in front of Ichigo, blocking her next shot. She blinked when she saw her father in Soul Reaper garments, remembering what Haschwalth and Yhwach told her.

Seeing the hesitance in Yuzu's eyes, Isshin hoped with all his heart that the little girl he loved was still in there somewhere. "Yuzu! Please!" he called out. "It's me! It's daddy!" he pleaded. "Don't do this! This isn't you! You aren't a killer! Ichigo isn't your enemy!"

"I…" Yuzu's head started to hurt as her emotions started to boil over. "I…" She couldn't think. Her vision blurred as her memories of her family came back to her.

"Yuzu."

Yuzu's vision came back into focus when Yhwach called out to her.

Standing right in front of the barrier, Yhwach addressed the A Sternritter. "Who is your father?"

"My father…" Yuzu repeated. Isshin and Ichigo both stared in unspeakable horror as her hand slowly drew back on her bow, forming another arrow. "My father is Yhwach. I am Yuzu Kurosaki, daughter of Yhwach. I am a Quincy!" she shouted in defiance of her father and brother. "And my enemies are Soul Reapers!"

"Good, my daughter. Good." Yhwach reached out and destroyed the barrier. "Release your power and kill Ichigo and his friends."

"Yuzu!" Ichigo shouted. "Don't listen to him!"

But his words fell on death ears. Yuzu shuddered as her spiritual pressure grew. Everyone stared as her body started to glow blue. She smiled as a ribbon of spirit energy erupted from her back and rocketed towards her king. As the ribbon touched Yhwach in the back and disappeared, Yuzu's eyes changed. "This is my power…" she whispered.

"The Attached."

To be continued


	6. The Attached

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Six: The Attached_

 **Soul King's Palace; King's Chambers**

Father and son watched in horror as Yuzu's changed in front of them. The white ribbon that connected Yuzu Kurosaki to her king glowed, making her blue spiritual pressure grow until it surged around her like a bonfire. When Yuzu slowly opened her eyes, Ichigo gasped in horror. Yuzu now had the same eyes as Yhwach!

"Yuzu!" screamed Isshin. "What have they done to you?!"

"That is her power," Haschwalth explained, having appeared from out of nowhere. "This is what our A Sternritter can do. This is The Attached."

"What?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yuzu can attach her soul onto another individual's. By doing so, she gains their powers and uses them as their own. Her life becomes tied to her target. Now that Yuzu has attached her soul to His Majesty, his Almighty power is now hers as well."

Ichigo and his friends looked on in horror when Yuzu drew her bow, murder lurking within her eyes. To make matters worse, the rest of Yhwach's Royal Guard arrived and surrounded him and his friends. Lillie pointed his sniper rifle at Ichigo to blow a hole through his head but was stopped by a look from his Grandmaster.

"Yuzu, don't!" Isshin pleaded. When Yuzu drew back on her bow he knew he had to do something before he and Ichigo were murdered by his own daughter. He drew his zanpakuto and dashed forward. He knew what he had to do. He had to knock out Yuzu and force her unconscious. ' _If I can get her to Kisuke, we might be able to undo Yhwach's brainwashing!'_

The former captain was fast but the Sternritter was faster. "You're not my father," Yuzu said as she aimed her arrow at her father.

"Burn: Engetsu!" Isshin shouted, releasing his Shikai. Setting aside the pain in his heart, he brought his burning sword down, sending a wave of fire at Yuzu…which didn't even touch her. "What?!"

"His Majesty's power is my power," Yuzu said, her eyes showing no emotion. "And when I wield His Majesty's power, no skill or technique will work on my." The girl's irises and pupils multiplied as she negated her father's attack. "Goodbye, Soul Reaper."

A massive blast erupted from Yuzu's bow. Isshin couldn't even scream as he was blasted away by his own daughter. "DAD!" Ichigo screamed as his father sailed out of the ruined room, falling away from the palace. "NO!"

"You're next, Ichigo," Yuzu said, turning her bow towards her brother. "You monster."

"Yuzu! I'm your brother! Don't do this!" he pleaded.

"You," she pulled back her bowstring. "Are not." Her body glowed fiery blue as her rage peaked. "MY BROTHER!"

The Substitute brought his swords up to block Yuzu's massive strike. ' _She's too strong!'_ he thought as he was pushed back by his sister's attack. ' _Is Yhwach this strong as well?'_ He managed to deflect the attack but saw to his horror more ribbons erupting from his sister's back.

The rest of Ichigo's friends watched in equal horror as Yuzu's Spirit Ribbons attached themselves to Pernida and Askin, fixing her soul to theirs. "Hey!" Askin shouted when the ribbon wrapped around his arm. "What the hell?"

"Calm yourself, Askin," Haschwalth called out. "Yuzu is in need of your powers."

Chad thought to take the D Sternritter by surprise but he took but a single step before he suddenly felt sick, dropping to his knees.

Yoruichi saw Chad fall and cursed, knowing that the situation was going from bad to worst. "Dammit!" she held out a hand to launch a string of balls at Yuzu. It didn't matter if she was Ichigo's sister and Isshin's daughter, right now she was an enemy who was trying to kill them. But her throw never came when her arm suddenly started to twist and twist until it was more crooked than a pretzel. "What is…happening?" she gasped.

Ichigo turned back to see what was happening to his friends which gave Yuzu all the opportunity she needed. "Goodbye, you monster," she spat, the dark specter of Yhwach whispering into her ear. She let go of her arrow and let her massive blast fly.

"Yuzuuuuuu!" Ichigo screamed as he and his friends were knocked away, flying right out of the palace.

The ribbons connected to Askin, Pernida and Yhwach dissolved, freeing her soul from thiers. She wobbled on her feet as the strain from using her powers took their toll. Yuzu would have fallen over if not for Haschwalth catching her. "Breath," he instructed.

Destryoing the barrier keeping the fallen Soul King, Yhwach turned his head to acknowledge his Sternritter. "Well done, Yuzu. Because of you, our victory is secured." He then turned his attention to Mimihagi, who was keeping itself anchored to the Soul King. Unceremoniously he ripped the Righ Hand away, absorbing it. "Now it's time for you, Soul King."

The other members of the Royal Guard followed Haschwalth's instruction and followed him out of the throne room to give their king some privacy, the light-haired man carrying a dazed Yuzu.

Askin rubbed the back of his head as he glanced at the girl his Grandmaster was carrying. "Heh, he sure wasn't kidding. What a terrifying power. She's like a mini version of His Majesty…"

Gerard couldn't help but grin. "Still, she packs quite the punch. She's strong enough to be considered one of us." To that, Lillie nodded. He understood what Haschwalth meant when he said that Yuzu had to the potential to be the strongest Sternritter. He could see that if he were to engage her, he'd most definitely lose the battle.

The group sat down in what looked to be a meeting room, sitting down on a bunch of sofas. Lillie noticed how dazed and disoriented Yuzu was and decided that he should raise some concern for his new comrade. "Will she be alright, Haschwalth?" he asked.

"She needs to rest. Both her body and mind are exhausted. The Attached has powerful side effects," Hacschwalth explained. "Due to having her soul tied to three people at once, her strength has drained. It will be awhile before she'll be able to fight again." Haschwalth sat her down on a separate sofa and put his hands to her temples. He knew that she was loyal to them but he hadn't counted on Isshin Kurosaki showing up. For a moment, he thought that the indoctrination Yuzu had been put through would come undone. "Yuzu," he called out to the dazed girl. "Focus. Hear my voice."

After a few moments Yuzu's eyes started to come back into focus. "Haschwalth…" she murmured.

The Sternritter Grandmaster frowned. The look on Yuzu's face told him that her mind was on the verge of breaking. The sudden shock of seeing her father appear alongside her brother had filled her mind with doubt and her memories of her happy family was clearly conflicting with her training. ' _If His Majesty hadn't been there to command her…'_

But Haschwalth pushed it aside. Isshin and Ichigo were either dead or out of Yhwach's way. Still, it paid to prepare. "Yuzu, do you remember what you are?"

Taking deep breaths, Yuzu nodded. "I'm a Quincy."

"And who is your enemy?"

"My enemy is the Soul Society."

"And Ichigo?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"He's my sworn enemy. He's a monster," she said without hesitation.

"And Isshin Kurosaki?"

"He-" Yuzu's eyes widened as the voice of Yhwach slithered into her mind, quashing any feelings that she had for her father.

" _He is a Soul Reaper. He is your enemy. He must die."_

Yuzu gave a blank expression as she repeated the words like a mindless doll. "He's a Soul Reaper. He is my enemy. He must die."

Satisfied, Haschwalth stood up and turned away, leaving Yuzu alone with the Royal Guard in a mindless state. Askin, having watched the whole exchange, frowned at the blank face Yuzu was making. "Seriously, that's creepy as hell."

"Shut up, Askin," everyone said in unison.

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Royal Palace Floating City**

Ichigo opened his eyes and sat up, groaning. He remembered falling from the palace and landing on Orihime's shield. He looked around and was relieved to see that everyone was okay. Orihime was busy healing Yoruichi while Chad and Ganju were patrolling the area to make sure none of the Sternritter came after them.

As for Isshin…

The father stood at the edge of the city, looking out across the floating cities to where the palace was, to where Yuzu was. Getting up, Ichigo walked over to his father, the man having his back towards him. "Dad…"

Isshin was silent as he stared at the palace, wondering what horrors his daughter had gone through to turn her into Yhwach's puppet. "She's gone…" he said as tears ran down his face. "My little girl is gone…"

"Dad…"

Turning around, Isshin could do nothing but show a father's anguish. "When I lost Masaki, I promised to do my best to care for the three of you." He looked down and let the tears fall down his face. "I couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect your mother. And I couldn't even protect my little girl. I'm no father."

Ichigo shut his dad's blubbering by doing the only thing he could do: smack him. "Get a grip, Dad!" he shouted. "She's still in there! I know it!"

"Ichigo…"

The substitute stood in front of his father with a determined expression on his face. "I know that my sister is still in there somewhere. If she really wanted us dead, she would have killed us for sure. She held back subconsciously. I know it." He saw the hesitance in his father's eyes and scowled. "I know it! I'll stop Yhwach and save Yuzu. That's a promise!"

Hearing his son's resolve helped relieve the guilt Isshin felt. He wiped his eyes and smiled. "You're right, Ichigo. I'm sorry you saw me like that." He put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Let's go get Yuzu back."

"If you two are quite finished," Yoruichi called out, "We need to get moving if we're to save the king."

The two men turned. "Yeah but…how are we going to get up there?" Ichigo asked. "They'll see us coming if we use Orihime's shield again."

Yoruichi smiled. "I thought of that." She turned around and called out to someone. "You can come out now."

Ichigo was stunned when a Garganta opened up, revealing a familiar face.

"Hey there, Soul Reaper," grinned Grimmjow.

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Soul King's Palace**

Yuzu sat on the couch while the Royal Guard bickered, none of the four taking much notice of her. The girl fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of happier times with her family. She thought of her mother, her sister, her father and…

"Ichigo…" she whispered, a tear falling down her face. "Big brother…"

To be continued


	7. Saving Yuzu

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Seven: Saving Yuzu_

 _ **A short while later…  
**_ **Wahrwelt**

Yuzu knelt in front of her king along with the rest of her fellow Quincies. Yhwach had claimed the Soul King and absorbed his power. The man's visage looked bizarre, almost monstrous. A black mass covered the top have of his head, multiple eyes opening up as he reveled in the power of the Soul King.

"We have visitors from the Soul Society," Yhwach informed them. He addressed his Royal Guard. "Leave none alive," he commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty," all five members of the Royal Guard said in unison.

As she stood to leave with the others, Yhwach held up his hand. "Stay, child." The king waited for the others to leave before addressing his A Sternritter. "Your brother lives," he informed her.

Yuzu nodded while kneeling before her king, "Yes." She could feel that her brother and her father were still alive, despite her attacks.

"Do you know why I brought you, Yuzu?"

The girl shook her head. Neither he nor Haschwalth had ever told her what her role in all of this was supposed to be. "No, Your Majesty," she admitted.

"Your brother is strong. Strong enough, perhaps, to end my life," the king admitted. "Of all the Five Special War Potentials, he is the most dangerous. The reason I brought you to us is because your role in this battle is to deal with your brother."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Yuzu said, nodding. "I will destroy him," she said with no hesitation.

Yhwach nodded, happy to see that his daughter of darkness was fully subservient to him in body and mind. "Wait for him. He will come to you."

Rising to her feet, Yuzu bowed before the man. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do not fail me," Yhwach commanded before waving a hand to dismiss the girl. He watched Yuzu leave before grinning. Yuzu would do her part, of that he had no doubts. The throne room became filled with maniacal laughter. "Poor Ichigo," he laughed. "He has no idea of the sorrow that awaits him!"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Wahrwelt; Lower corridors**

Isshin and Ichigo dashed up the stairs as fast as they could go, both men desperate in their bid to save little Yuzu from Yhwach's clutches. Orihime, Chad and Ganju were busy dealing with the stone statues that had attacked them to clear the way for father and son. Grimmjow had been taken down by the D Sternritter, leaving Yoruichi to deal with him. Ichigo hoped that his friend and mentor would be alright but knew he had to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. He had to stop Yhwach. And more importantly, he had to stop Haschwalth.

Kicking open the door in front of them, both men found themselves in a large chamber. It looks like an assembly chamber, with a large platform on the other end of the room. The two men saw that they weren't alone in the room. Someone had been waiting for them.

Standing on the platform, sword in hand was Haschwalth. "So you've come, Ichigo Kurosaki and Isshin Kurosaki."

"Dad, you go on ahead," Ichigo told his father. "I've got a score to settle with him." He drew his Zangetsu blades and readied himself to throw down. "I'm going to make him pay for breaking Tensa Zangetsu before."

"Ichigo, are you sure?" Isshin asked.

The Substitute nodded. "Yeah, besides, he's Yhwach's right hand man. It's not like he's going to just let either of us go through him without a fight."

"A correct assumption, Ichigo Kurosaki," Haschwalth replied as he leapt down from the platform and landed in the middle of the room. "Both of you are going nowhere. And to add to your previous statement, Ichigo, you've more than enough reason to fight me."

"What are you talking about?"

Haschwalth's lips formed a dark smile. "I am Yuzu's guardian. It was I who made her into a Sternritter."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "You-"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Isshin screamed as he leapt into the air. He brought his sword down on Haschwalth with all his might, the ground breaking beneath them from the powerful strike. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LITTLE GIRL?!"

"Dad!"

Haschwalth pushed Isshin away, the man skidding several feet away from the Sternritter Grandmaster. "Ichigo, go!" he said, pointing to the stairs on the opposite side of the room. "I'll deal with him. Go! Save your sister and stop Yhwach!"

Knowing that his father was too enraged to talk down, Ichigo nodded and headed for the exit. "Good luck, Dad!"

Haschwalth moved to bar his path. "Who said I'd let you leave here?" he asked as he swung his broadsword at Ichigo.

"I DID!" Isshin shouted as he jumped in front of his son, protecting him from his strike. He kept Haschwalth at bay while his son ran past him.

The Quincy watched as Ichigo ran up the stairs and turned his attention back to an angry Isshin. "It matters little. He will die." He pointed his broadsword at Isshin. "As will you."

Isshin was so angry that steam threatened to shoot out of his nostrils. He'd reached the point of anger that only the most loving of parents could achieve. "What. Did you do. TO MY LITTLE GIRL?!" he shouted.

Haschwalth met Isshin's strike with his own and the two men pushed against one another, sparks shooting from their conflicting blades. "I educated her into accepting her place as one of us."

"She already had a family! You stole her and brainwashed her."

"Yes," Haschwalth admitted. "I did. And just so you know," he formed another evil smile as he stoked Isshin's rage. "Her education was quite painful. Who would have thought that one so small could endure so much pain"

Isshin snapped. Jumping into the air, he released his Shikai. "Burn: Engetsu!" He summoned a torrent of flames and charged at Haschwalth. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"

"You'll die trying."

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **With Ichigo**

Dashing up the stairs, Ichigo saw the doors in front of him. The large doors had the Vandenreich emblem on it, signaling that it was the throne room. "He must be in here." Steeling himself, Ichigo opened the door. He'd made it. He was going to take down Yhwach once and for all.

Except when he opened the doors he found that he wasn't in the throne room. It was another audience chamber like the last one. And just like the previous one, someone was waiting for him.

It was Yuzu.

The sight of his little sister in the Vandenreich made Ichigo's heart ache. He wished so desperately that it had all been an illusion that Yhwach had made to trick him. But it wasn't. Yuzu was not only here but he was his enemy.

"Yuzu," he murmured. He prayed that he was right and that some part of the sister he loved was still in the A Sternritter. "I don't want to fight you." He sheathed his swords and slowly walked into the room. "Please," he pleaded. "I am not your enemy."

"Maybe not," Yuzu said as she shook her head. She held up her Quincy cross and frowned. "But you're my enemy." The cross glowed and she summoned her bow. "And I was trained to kill my enemies."

Cursing, Ichigo drew his swords. "Yuzu, don't make me do this!"

"You don't want to do this. But I do." She drew back her bow and summoned an arrow. "You're not my brother. You're a monster. And I'm going to kill you."

Ichigo charged at Yuzu while she released her arrow, beginning the battle. Ichigo knew that this wasn't going to end well.

To be continued


	8. Duel to the Death

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter 8: Duel to the Death_

 **Warhwelt**

Yuzu didn't waste any time and unleashed a barrage of Quincy holy arrows at her brother. Ichigo dodged her volley with the Flashstep, the area where he stood turning into small craters as her arrows pierced the wall and floor. Ichigo began to run around his sister, buying time to come up with a plan. He hoped that maybe he could outlast her and knock her unconscious. But he didn't know if he could do it. He didn't know if he had could pour ice into his veins and turn his swords against his sister.

Ichigo cursed Yhwach with every fiber of his being. ' _This is probably why Yhwach kidnapped Yuzu. He wanted to try to throw a wedge into my family. Damn him!'_ he cursed mentally. ' _Yhwach, how much more will you rob from my family?!'_

Tired of Ichigo dodging her arrows, Yuzu lowered her bow. Ichigo gave into the hope that Yuzu would see how foolish it was to try to take down her brother with just a bow but she instead flexed her wrists. The red gridlike patterns of Blut Vene adorned her hands before they shot out of her wrists, digging into the ground beneath her to form a blood red bubble. "Is that Blut Vene?" he asked.

"Blut Vene Aufheben," the A Sternritter explained. "It's a special technique that his Majesty taught me. No other Sternritter knows it." Flexing her hands again, Yuzu's barrier started to expand. As it inched ever closer towards him, Ichigo saw that the ground it touched began to be stripped away. "That's right, Ichigo," Yuzu said with a smile so devious it made her look foreign to her brother. "Blut Vene Aufheben devours everything it touches to maintain itself. And soon…it'll devour you."

Clenching his teeth, Ichigo looked at his sister with eyes filled with anguish. ' _Yuzu…what did they do to you?'_ he wondered. This was a side of his sister he never thought existed. It was as if Yhwach and Haschwalth had taken his kind, cheerful sister and replaced her with this malicious demon full of spite. He stopped as the barrier came closer and closer to him. ' _I have to save my sister and I can't do that if she kills me!'_ Steeling himself, Ichigo gripped his Zangetsu blades tightly and readied himself. ' _Sorry, Yuzu, but I'm going to have to get a little rough.'_

Yuzu was so certain that Ichigo would be unable to fight back that she was utterly taken by surprise when Ichigo swung his short sword. "Getsuga Tensho!" A huge blast erupted from the sword, the blue attack smashing against her barrier. Yuzu's barrier was strong but not strong enough. The red wall crumbled before the might of Ichigo's signature move. Ichigo didn't waste any time and leapt through the hole he made.

Landing on the inside of the barrier, Ichigo dashed over to Yuzu, the shock apparent in her eyes. "Sorry, Yuzu, but I'm going to have to make you go to sleep!" he said as he prepared to hit Yuzu with the back of his blade. He came just five feet away from his sister when pain erupted throughout his legs. "Gahhh!" he screamed as the pain intensified.

Yuzu giggled. "Wow, you were always so smart, Ichigo. It's painful whenever you have a stupid moment," she taunted.

As the pain intensified Ichigo looked down to see what trick his sister had up her sleeve. He saw that the Blut Vene she'd unleashed was now running up his leg, eating away at his body as it kept him rooted to the floor.

"I told you, my Blut Vene Aufheben absorbs everything it touches," Yuzu said with an evil smile. "Now that you're at the center of it, it'll devour you in minutes!" Reaching the pinnacle of her indoctrination, Yuzu's lips formed a grin dripping with malice. "Die, you monster!"

The pain Ichigo felt in his body was terrible but nothing compared to the pain he felt when Yuzu decried him like she just did. Knowing he had to stop it, Ichigo swung his sword again, aiming for Yuzu's feet. "Getsuga Tensho!"

"Kyaaaa!" Yuzu screamed as she was blasted off her feet. Her concentration was broken which dispelled her Blut. Ichigo was relieved when the searing pain in his legs retreated as Yuzu's Blut Vene marks faded.

Yuzu bounced off the ground like a ball and landed on her back, disoriented from the sudden blast. Ichigo took the opportunity to try to subdue his younger sister. "Hey! Let go!" Yuzu yelled as Ichigo grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. "Get off of me!"

"Yuzu, please! Listen to me!" Ichigo begged as he sat atop of her. "I am not your enemy! Yhwach has lied to you!"

"SO HAVE YOU!" Yuzu screamed in defiance. "You've lied to me. You and Isshin!"

"His name is not Isshin, his name is Dad!" Ichigo shouted back. "He's your father, not Yhwach! Just because your blood comes from him dosen't make you his daughter! He didn't raise you! Dad did! He came all the way here to save you! He came became he loves you!"

Yuzu's face hardened. "No," she said without hesitation. "Yhwach is my father! He made me realize what I was born to be! I am a Quincy! And you…" she managed to slip a hand out of Ichigo's grip and created a mini bow in her hand and pointed it at Ichigo's face. "You're nothing but a monster masquerading as my brother!"

Ichigo managed to move his head out of the way in the nick of time before Yuzu shot him in the face. The younger Kurosaki kicked her brother in the stomach, sending him sprawling away with her Blut Arterie. "Yuzu, I'm not a monster!" Ichigo insisted as he rose to his feet, blocking another torrent of arrows. "Yhwach's lying to you!"

"Is he?" Yuzu scowled angrily at Ichigo. "You have a Hollow inside of you, don't you?"

"…Yes," Ichigo admitted. "But it was never my choice. It was something I inherited from Mom when I was born."

"I know…" Yuzu said. "His Majesty told me as much. And he also told me…" her eyes lit up with rage, "That it was because of your Hollow that Mom died from the Auswahlen!" Tears fell down her face as she drew her bow back, her heart filling with venom. "You killed Mom!"

Ichigo finally saw the depths that Yhwach sank to in order to get Yuzu to hate him. By making telling Yuzu that the Hollow which poisoned their mother was now inside of Ichigo, he'd shifted the blame of Masaki's death from him to Ichigo.

Blocking another strike, Ichigo charged at Yuzu. As he was fighting he noticed something critical. ' _Yuzu hasn't used The Attached yet. Is there some limit to it? Or is she waiting for something.'_ He knew what he had to do, even if he didn't want to do it. Yhwach had completely brainwashed his sister into believing that Ichigo was her enemy. He had to incapacitate her in order to find a way to break the hold the Quincy king had over Yuzu. He dodged the next arrow Yuzu shot at him before knocking her bow away with his sword. Turning his longsword around, Ichigo brought it down on his sister's shoulder.

 _CLANG!_

Despite Ichigo's mighty strength, his blunt-forced attack was useless in the face of Yuzu's Blut Vene. Smiling, Yuzu summoned another mini-bow in her hand and fired it into Ichigo's stomach. Blood covered the floor as Ichigo staggered, the pain in his injured guts shooting to his brain. He made a careless swipe at his sister but she dodged it easily with Hirenkyaku. ' _Dammit! Nothing I'm doing is working! I can't use lethal force but her Blut is too strong to simply knock her out.'_ He stopped the bleeding in his stomach and rose to his feet, shaking off the pain. ' _I don't have a choice. If I don't do something now I'll die. And Yuzu will be Yhwach's thrall forever.'_ He knew what he had to do. ' _I was waiting for my fight with Yhwach to do this but I don't have a choice but to use it.'_

Yuzu was in the midst of preparing to fire another volley when she noticed something odd about Ichigo's black blade. ' _His zanpakuto…is turning white?'_ she thought in confusion before her brother disappeared in a torrent of energy.

"Sorry, Yuzu," Ichigo said through the cloud of dust. "But I have to stop you. And if I gotta get rough, so be it." He stepped out of the cloud and stood before his sister in his merged Hollowfied state. One side of his face resembled a Hollow, with dark marks running down his face and neck, the scalera of his eyes turning black, and the Hollow horn on the side of his head.

The A Sternritter looked at her brother with a horrified expression. Gone were the memories of her happy, loving brother. What stood before her only proved to validate Yhwach's claims that he was a monster. "That thing…killed our mother…" she said through clenched teeth, anger burning in her eyes. "And you fused with it?" she asked in a low voice. "You are a monster…"

"Yuzu…"

"But…" Yuzu's lips formed another evil smile. "That was what I was counting on." Seeing the confusion in Ichigo's eyes, Yuzu elaborated. "Out of all the Sternritter, His Majesty chose me to kill you. Do you know why?" she asked. When Ichigo didn't answer she continued, "Because I'm the only one who can. I'm different from the other Sternritter. My powers allow me to gain all the advantages that another person has," her body glowed blue, "Which means that what works for you will work for me."

Out of Yuzu's chest erupted a white ribbon of Spirit Energy. Ichigo jumped back but was too late as Yuzu's ribbon wrapped around his arm, attaching her soul to Ichigo's. Yuzu slumped forward as Ichigo's power flowed into her. Ichigo's heart filled with dread as Yuzu's bow turned bone white before she erupted in a similar torrent of Spirit Energy.

Emerging from the vortex, Yuzu stood in front of her brother, now Hollowfied in a similar fashion. The right side of her face was covered with dark marks and she had a small horn jutting from the side of her head.

"Now, Ichigo," Yuzu said as she aimed her bow at Ichigo. "I'm going to use the power that you love to use, the power that killed my mother, to kill you!"

To be continued


	9. Death of the family

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Nine: Death of the Family_

 _ **Ichigo vs. Yuzu  
**_ **Wahrwelt**

Rukia once told Ichigo that his merged Hollowfied form was rather eerie while they were training together with Osho. But as Ichigo stood there in bewilderment he came to a horrifying conclusion.

Yuzu made his final form look haunting.

"How?" Ichigo gaped. Kisuke told him that Quincies had no resistance to Hollows so it boggled Ichigo's mind to see Yuzu take a mirror image of his merged Hollowfication form.

Yuzu reached up and touched the horn on the right side of her face, finding it to be rather repulsive. She could hear something within her mind try to speak out to her but she ignored it. She knew that it was simply the voice of Ichigo's Inner Hollow. Haschwalth warned her that might happen. Because Ichigo had another entity dwelling within his soul Yuzu had not only used The Attached to bind herself to Ichigo's soul but she'd roped in his Inner Hollow as a consequence.

Seeing the stunned look on her brother's face, Yuzu formed another evil grin. "Did you forget my power, Ichigo?" She held up her arm and the ribbon that connected them appeared, pulsing white. "My soul is a part of your soul and your soul is a part of mine. I don't have the necessary antibodies to survive the corruption of a Hollow. But you do. And now that our souls have been attached, now so do I." She summoned her bow, the silver weapon having turned bone white thanks to the corrupted power of Hollowfication.

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, to tell his sister that it wasn't the Inner Hollow that caused their mother's death but Yhwach who was responsible. But Yuzu fired before Ichigo could speak, a huge arrow erupting from her bow. Ichigo dodged the strike, the blast blowing a huge hole in the wall behind them. Looking up, he saw Yuzu hovering in the air in front of him.

Like a ballerina Yuzu spun around and kicked Ichigo in the face. The force of the blow made Ichigo's mind momentarily go numb from the pain, sending him flying. Before he smashed into the wall he regained focus and rebounded off the wall, charging his sister.

' _I don't have to choice. I have to knock her out. With force!'_

The determined look in Ichigo's eyes told Yuzu that he was finally starting to get into it. Bracing herself, she fired another huge blast. Ichigo Flashstepped away from the blow and flanked Yuzu, swinging hard. Yuzu's trained reflexes kicked in and she ducked, losing a few strands of her beautiful hair as the blade swung over her head. She fired another arrow at Ichigo's bloodstained stomach only for Ichigo to block it with his shortsword. When Ichigo swung his sword down, she grabbed his wrist. Yuzu let go of her bow and formed another minibow in her hand to shoot Ichigo, only for Ichigo to let go of the smaller of the two blades and grabbed her wrists.

The siblings grappled with their inhuman strength. The ground rumbled as they struggled against one another. "Yuzu!" Ichigo grunted. "I am not your enemy!"

"Yes. You. ARE!" Yuzu shouted. Ichigo cringed as Yuzu squeezed his wrist, the bones in his arm creaking from the strain. Gritting his teeth, Ichigo kneed her in the stomach, sending her skidding away. When Yuzu bent over in pain Ichigo grabbed her by the hair and hurled her away. The Sternritter slammed into the wall, momentarily dazed before Ichigo grabbed her by the neck and kept her immobile. "Yuzu, listen to me!" Ichigo shouted into her face. "This is not right! We should not be fighting! Think about what you're doing! You attacked Dad! You hurt Chad and Yoruichi! You're helping Yhwach destroy everything! What you're doing is wrong!"

Yuzu's head started to hurt, her emotions conflicted as the voice inside her mind grew louder.

' _Yuzu…'_

"NO!" Yuzu shouted into her brother's face. "I am a Quincy! I exist to serve His Majesty!" Tears ran down her face as the pain in her head became agonizing. In addition to the dark voice of Ichigo's Inner Hollow, the voice of Yhwach boomed in her voice, keeping her subservient to him. "YOU'RE JUST A MONSTER!"

Yuzu blew her brother backward with a large release of spirit energy. Summoning her bow again, Yuzu drew back on the drawstring. "I'm going to kill you, Soul Reaper!" Yuzu said adamantly. "And I'm going to kill you with your own power."

At the tip of Yuzu's arrow glowed a red cero, combining with her blue arrow to form a new, purple colored, razor-tipped arrow.

Ichigo braced himself but even with his speed and reflexes he was completely overwhelmed by her attack. The arrow flew out of Yuzu's bow faster than Ichigo could react. Before he had time to block it, it hit him square in the chest, the explosion shaking Wahrwelt in its entirety.

His body badly injured, Ichigo was blown backward and smashed into the wall, creating a Ichigo-sized dent in the stone. His Zangetsu blades slipped from his grasp as he fell to the ground, blood spilling from his grievous injury as he collapsed onto his knees, wheezing for air. ' _I…I can't do it…'_ Ichigo knew that he couldn't overcome Yuzu; not because he was weaker than her, but he couldn't bear to use full force on his sister. If he did, Yuzu would assuredly die. ' _Dad…Karin…I'm sorry…'_ Ichigo struggled to get up but Yuzu's attack took its toll. ' _I can't hurt her.'_

Yuzu smiled as she prepared to give the final blow. She drew back on her bow and created another arrow. "Goodbye, Ichigo," she said as she readied herself to finish Ichigo off. "I'd say you were a good brother but you weren't."

"Yuzu…" Ichigo looked up and stared at his sister, knowing he was about to die at the hands of his brainwashed sister.

Brother and sister locked eyes, time standing still. Sweat dripped down Yuzu's face as she stared down Ichigo. Just as she was about to release her bow and kill her older brother she heard a voice. She went rigid when she recognized who it was. It wasn't Yhwach nor was it the voice of Ichigo's Inner Hollow. No, it was a voice she hadn't heard since she was a little girl.

'… _Mom?'_

Her eyes blurred and she no longer found herself standing in Wahrwelt, her wounded brother vanishing before her eyes. Yuzu found herself floating inside a sea of white, wondering what was happening. She looked down at herself and discovered that she was no longer Hollowfied nor in her Sternritter uniform, finding herself dressed in the clothes she wore the day Yhwach stole her away from the World of the Living.

"My voice finally reached you. Thank goodness."

Turning around, Yuzu gasped and began to cry tears of joy when she saw Masaki Kurosaki floating in front of her. "Mama!" she cried, hugging her mother. "It's you!" She buried her face in Masaki's bosom and cried. "Mama!"

Masaki held her child while patting her head. "There, there, Yuzu. I'm here."

"How…how are you here?"

"Because the Hollow that Ichigo inherited came from me, a tiny part of myself became a part of it. When you became a part of Ichigo's soul I was able to reach out through your Quincy blood to speak to you."

"Mama…" Yuzu sobbed. "It's Ichigo's fault…it's his fault you died."

"No, it isn't. Ichigo had nothing to do with my death."

Yuzu looked up at her mother confused. "But-"

"Shhh…" Masaki shushed, putting a finger to her daughter's lips. "Yuzu, I want you to try to calm down and think. You're letting others tell you how to think and feel. Ask yourself, has Ichigo ever acted like a monster?" When Yuzu failed to answer she continued, "Your brother and your Daddy love you with all their hearts, Yuzu. Try to remember that."

Closing her eyes, Yuzu steadied her breathing and remembered a time when their family was together. She remembered sunny days with Masaki, Isshin, Karin and most importantly, her older brother Ichigo. The more she thought about her brother, the more her Quincy indoctrination crumbled away. "Ichigo…" She remembered how kind and caring her brother was. "But…but right now he's…"

"Yes, he's fused with his Hollow but that doesn't make him a monster. He's doing what he's doing to protect everyone he loves. His friends, your father, Karin…" she lifted her daughter's head up and smiled, "and you."

Yuzu's lower lip trembled as she realized what she'd done. She remembered the pain that Haschwalth put her through, torturing her as he forced Yhwach's education upon her. "I don't know what's what anymore!" she cried, sobbing into her mother's chest again. "It hurts! My head hurts!"

"Shhhh…" Masaki said soothingly, running her hands through her daughter's hair. "I know. I know it hurts, sweetie. But I want to ask you this," she smiled down at her daughter with a smile only a mother could give, "do you know who your family is?"

Staring into her mother's eyes, the spell that Yhwach had over Yuzu was finally broken. "My family…my family is with you! And Daddy! And Karin…" Squeezing her eyes shut, Yuzu cried out finally, "And Ichigo! My big brother!"

Masaki kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly. "Go, Yuzu. Your big brother needs you now more than ever."

Yuzu hugged her mother back. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too. And I always will."

The sudden shift from her Inner World to reality made Yuzu stagger. Her conversation with Masaki had felt like minutes but it had happened in the timespan of only a second. Ichigo, still grievously wounded, was perplexed with Yuzu dropped her bow, staggering backwards. The programming that Haschwalth and Yhwach drilled into her brain soon faded and through the blistering pain she remembered who she really was. She wasn't a Sternritter. She wasn't a Quincy.

She was Yuzu Kurosaki, a young girl who loved her family.

The realization caused a massive pain to shoot through her mind. Screaming in pain, Yuzu continued to stagger backwards, her hands going to her head as if someone was putting an icepick into her ears. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" she screamed loudly. Finally, the pain subsided and she looked up. "Ic…hi…go…" she mumbled as her vision cleared up. When it did, she was greeted with the horrifying sight of her brother, bleeding and on his knees. "Oh my god! What have I done?!" she screamed in horror.

Ichigo, not knowing of Yuzu's inner turmoil, blinked in confusion but was relieved to see that his sister was had snapped out of her murderous brainwashing. "Yuzu…"

Tears ran down Yuzu's face as she realized what she'd done to her brother. As quickly as she could, she detached her Spirit Ribbon from Ichigo. The horn on the side of her face crumbled away and she returned to normal. "I'm so sorry! Ichigo, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Big brother, please forgive me!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ichigo smiled. "It's okay, Yuzu. You weren't yourself."

Yuzu ran to her brother, wanting to bring him aid. "I love you, big brother! I'm sorry!" she shouted, nearing her brother…

…before the white light of Yhwach's Auswahlen came down and consumed her.

Ichigo stared in abject horror at what was happening. "YUZUUUUU!"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Wahrwelt; Throne Room**

Sitting on his throne, Yhwach felt the part of his Soul that he'd given Yuzu Kurosaki return to him. "You may rest in peace now, Yuzu. Your part in this is over. You've fulfilled your duty to me." His lips formed a maniacal grin. "Your duty was to send your brother into a pit of despair!" he laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

To be continued

 **A.N.: Oh I'm sorry. Were you expecting a happy ending? Well I'm afraid life doesn't work that way, pal!**


	10. Ichigo's Rage

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Ten: Ichigo's Rage_

 _ **While Ichigo was fighting Yuzu…  
**_ **Isshin vs Haschwalth**

The Sternritter Grandmaster stood over the defeated Isshin Kurosaki, not a scratch on him. Isshin, on the other hand, had not fared so well, lying in a pool of blood. The Kurosaki father was just barely clinging to life, having been dealt many grievous wounds by the Quincy.

"How unfortunate for you," Haschwalth mocked, gripping his broadsword in one hand and his Freund Schild in the other. "You should have stayed in the World of the Living the moment you learned we rescued Yuzu from you."

"Rescued?" Isshin spat, looking up at the man with hate filled eyes. "You…turned my little girl…into a monster!"

"No, we made her what she was born to be. She is a Quincy. If anything, I've been more of a father to her than you have. I've nurtured her and helped her realize her potential."

"Don't…give me that crap!" Isshin seethed, struggling to rise to his knees. "You have no right to call yourself Yuzu's father! Fathers are kind and caring, who love their children. You don't care about Yuzu. You and Yhwach merely see her as a means to an end."

"All Quincies are here for His Majesty's purposes," Haschwalth countered. "Love and caring don't come into that." He raised his sword up above his head, ready to give the final blow to the wounded Soul Reaper. "Goodbye, Isshin Kurosaki. Chew on your failure as a father in Hell."

Time slowed down for the wounded Isshin as Haschwalth swung his blade. ' _Masaki…I'm so sorry…I couldn't save our children…'_

The blade was close to cutting through Isshin's head like a melon when the unexpected happened. A huge burst of white light cascaded through the ceiling and enveloped Haschwalth. Horror covered the man's face as he realized too late that he had been subjected to Yhwach's Auswahlen. "Your Majesty…why?" he groaned as his life force was drained away.

Making it to his feet, Isshin shook his head. "Surprised?" he couldn't help but taunt. "You said it yourself: you're just a pawn to Yhwach."

"Yes," Haschwalth nodded. "But the same is true," he gave Isshin a chilling smile, "for Yuzu."

Isshin's heart became filled with horror from Haschwalth's words as the man died in front of him, his handsome features being stripped away until nothing but his skeleton remained. When the light faded, the man's remains crumbled to the ground.

Panting, Isshin put a hand to his bleeding side and limped towards the exit. "Yuzu! Ichigo! Please be okay," he prayed.

"Mr. Kurosaki!"

Isshin turned around to see Ichigo's friends running towards him. "Orihime, Ganju, Chad."

Seeing Isshin so wounded, Orihime immediately summoned her barrier to heal him. "Hang on, I'll heal you!"

Ganju turned to look at the remains of Haschwalth. "Damn, man! I'd no idea you were that brutal!"

"That wasn't me. That was Yhwach. He used his Auswahlen on him." As soon as he was able to stand without blood pouring out of him he told Orihime to stop. "Enough, Orihime! I need to find my children!"

With Chad's help, Isshin made his way up the stairs, the tension mounting as the four made their way to the next room. Shrugging off Chad, Isshin threw open the doors. "Ichigo! Yuzu!" he called out.

What he saw inside the room broke his heart.

Yuzu lay in Ichigo's arms, the older brother cradling her tightly, tears running down his face. "Dad…" Ichigo looked up mournfully. "Yuzu…she's…"

Isshin rushed over to his children, the pain of his wounds paling in comparison to the pain in his heart. "Yuzu…what happened?" he asked his son.

Ichigo, still in his merged Hollowfied form, looked down at the little girl in his arms. "Yuzu…we fought and she was able to shake off Yhwach's brainwashing but then…but then…" Ichigo choked up and started to cry, knowing he'd been helpless to save his sister from Yhwach's treachery.

To Isshin's relief, Yuzu's eyes flicked open but he saw that the life was slowly leaving her. "Daddy…" she whispered, her strength fading.

"I'm here," Isshin cooed, taking Yuzu from Ichigo and holding her lightly in his arms. "Yuzu, I'm so sorry…" he cried.

"Daddy, I'm sorry…" Yuzu whispered. "I love you and Ichigo so much…"

"Stay with me," Isshin pleaded, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "Stay with me, Yuzu."

"Dad…dy…" Yuzu murmured before her eyes closed shut, her spiritual pressure fading away.

"Yuzu!" Isshin shook his daughter but got no response. He couldn't believe it. Yuzu was gone. 'YUZUUU!" he cried with a father's anguish.

Seeing Yuzu die in front of him, Ichigo was filled with a rage that nobody had ever seen. His friends stepped back as he his spiritual pressure shook the entire castle. "YHWAAAAAAAACHHHH!" Ichigo howled in sheer rage. Ignoring his injuries, Ichigo grabbed his Zangetsu blades and took off running, heading straight for the Quincy king. "YOU BASTAAAAAAARD!"

"Ichigo!" Orihime called out but her cry fell on deaf ears. She and the others turned to Isshin and Yuzu, not knowing who they should try to help. Orihime thought about using her powers to try to bring back Yuzu but she understood that Yhwach's powers were beyond hers.

"Go," Isshin said, not even looking up, only looking at his daughter's frail face while he cried. "Ichigo needs you more than me."

"Mr. Kurosaki…" Chad started before Ganju put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him be," the man said, turning away. "Let him grieve."

Orihime and Chad looked at each other before turning back to Isshin until they finally relented. "Okay…" The three took off after Ichigo, hoping to catch him before he threw himself headlong into the final battle, leaving Isshin in the middle of the ruined room holding his daughter.

"I'm sorry…" Isshin cried, clutching his little girl close. "Masaki, I failed. I failed our children," he confessed to nobody in particular. "I couldn't save you. I couldn't protect Ichigo. And now I couldn't even save Yuzu!" he sobbed, tears falling from his face and onto Yuzu's. "Yuzu…my little girl...I lost my little girl!"

"Not yet, you haven't."

Isshin turned his head to see who it was, expecting to see a surviving member of the Sternritter. His eyes went wide when he saw an old face standing in the doorway. Or to be more precise, he saw two familiar faces.

Ryuken Ishida pushed his glasses up as he stared at the grieving father. Beside him stood his son, Uryu Ishida.

"Ryuken…" Isshin breathed. "Why are you here? And how'd you get here from the World of the Living."

"When my father escaped from the Vandenreich, he used a hidden Gate of the Sun to flee to the World of the Living. We used the same gate to enter here." He looked down at the girl in Isshin's arms and narrowed his eyes. "Is that your daughter?"

Isshin nodded, tears coming back to him as he looked down at his slain daughter's face. "Yes…but she's gone…"

"I can help her."

The father raised his head so fast it was amazing he didn't break his neck. "What?!"

"I can save your daughter," Ryuken said with a smile.

To be continued

 **A.N.: If you're wondering why the Auswahlen automatically killed Haschwalth and yet didn't kill Yuzu right away…good luck figuring that out. The Auswahlen was pretty inconsistent. We saw it kill the N Sternritter instantly but Nanana, the U Sternritter, still survived after getting hit with it.**


	11. Death or life?

**A.N: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Eleven: Death or Life?_

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Wahrwelt; Throne Room**

The king of all Quincies sat on his throne, waiting for his son of darkness to return to him. Ichigo didn't keep him waiting long. The doors to the throne room were destroyed by Ichigo's furious spiritual pressure and the Substitute Soul Reaper thundered into the room, murder in his eyes. Yhwach sneered at the boy's unique appearance. It certainly fitted a half breed boy like Ichigo.

"You kept me waiting," Yhwach taunted as he sat on his chair, his multiple grotesque eyes staring at Ichigo. "It would seem that Yuzu proved too much for you."

Gripping his swords so hard blood was dripping from his hands, Ichigo seethed with anger as he stared down Yhwach. "You…you…HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SISTER!" Ichigo screamed. "HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOU TAKE FROM ME?!" He heard footsteps behind him but paid his friends no mind. All he cared about was killing Yhwach, the man who'd killed his mother and now his sister.

Yhwach's lips formed an evil grin. "Is that a dare, Ichigo? Haven't you learned by now? Everything you have is mine to take by rights."

"I'LL END YOU!" Ichigo screamed, holding his swords over his head. "BANKAI!"

His friends braced themselves as Ichigo was engulfed in a swirl of spirit energy, the boy going for his ultimate weapon. Jumping into the air, the boy held a great broadsword in his hands, the fusion of his two blades. "TENSA ZANGETSU!" he shouted.

And then he realized that something was very wrong.

He turned his head and realized that his Bankai…was broken! All he was holding was the handle with a little piece of blade. Turning back to Yhwach, Ichigo was horrified when he saw that Yhwach, crushing the remainder of the blade in his hands. "What…but how?"

Standing out of his chair, Yhwach continued to smile mercilessly at Ichigo. "Didn't I tell you, Ichigo? Everything you have is mine to take. But please, struggle all you want," Yhwach grinned. "Try to make this worth my time."

Standing there, Ichigo couldn't help but felt the roar in his throat come out.

"AAARRRGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Wahawelt; lower level**

Ryuken set a bag down next to him and opened it up, his son standing next to him. "Lay her down gently, Isshin." While Isshin did as he asked, Ryuken pulled a stethoscope and put the receiver over Yuzu's chest. After a moment he breathed a sigh of relief. "She's still alive. But she's fading fast."

Isshin blinked. "She…she's still alive? How?"

"From what I figured, your daughter is closest in strength to Yhwach. That's why she was able to survive the initial exposure to the Auswahlen while the other two Sternritter died automatically. However, she is projecting the symptoms my wife had when she was afflicted with it."

"Then…how do we save her?" Isshin asked, remembering what happened to Ryuken's wife and Uryu's mother. "And how'd you know to bring a bag of medical supplies?" he asked out of curiosity.

Putting on gloves, Ryuken pulled out several surgical tools. "Kisuke Urahara alerted me when you entered the Soul Society. He told me all about how your daughter was abducted. There was no doubt in my mind that Yhwach would do this to her once she'd served her purpose. That's all we are to him," he said with a hate-filled face. "We're called his children but all we are to him is food for him to devour like a parasite."

Uryu kept silent as his father spoke. He'd been offered to join the Vandenreich but his father convinced him to stay away from the army of Quincies, noting that loyalty to his fellow Quincies was a shallow concept that the king had.

"How can we save Yuzu?" Isshin asked.

Ryuken reached for Yuzu's top and started to unbutton it. He knew that it was disrespectful to do this in front of her father but time was of the essence. "Those who are subjected to the Auswahlen die from a silver blood clot that forms in their heart. We need to remove it before it's too late." He handed Isshin a set of gloves and a scalpel. "I'm going to need your help." His eyes narrowed when he saw how distraught Isshin was. "I know this is dangerous but your daughter needs you."

Calming his thumping heartbeat, Isshin nodded and took the gloves from his old friend, steeling himself to do surgery on his own daughter. "Your son won't be assisting us?" he asked, noting how Uryu had yet to do anything to assist them.

Uryu shook his head. "I don't have any medical training. This is better suited to you two since you know what you're doing." The whole palace rumbled from the battle happening above them, his face turning stern. "Whatever you're going to do, do it fast. I don't know what's happening up there but things are getting bad up there," he said. He could sense what was happening and knew that his friend Ichigo was fighting a losing battle. "We need to help Ichigo!"

"We need to help this girl first, Uryu," Ryuken admonished as he started to open up the girl.

The two doctors worked tirelessly to remove the silver forming in Yuzu's heart, admirably ignoring the shaking of the palace happening above them. Sweat dripped down Isshin's brow as he helped the Quincy pick out small pieces of silver that was forming inside her, thankful that Ryuken showed up when he did. He had given Yuzu up for lost, resigned himself to being a failure for a father. At least now he had a chance to make amends by saving his daughter from Yhwach's treachery.

Isshin noticed that Uryu had not remained idle. As soon as Ryuken started to remove the silver, he handed the pieces to his son, who pulled out a silver arrowhead and began to fuse the silver into the arrowhead with Reishi. "What is he doing?" Isshin asked as Ryuken handed Uryu another piece of sliver.

"Ever since Kanae died, I've spent my life preparing to stop Yhwach. To that end, I researched into his powers and how to stop him. And I discovered a weakness to The Almighty." His eyes glanced over to the arrowhead that Uryu was carrying. "I created that arrowhead from silver I collected from Kanae's heart. Uryu is reinforcing it with the silver from Yuzu." He looked back at Isshin and gave a rare smile. "That which Yhwach uses to strike down his own comrades will strike him down in turn."

Isshin was amazed at his friend's preparedness. "It'll kill him?"

"Not exactly. But it'll create a window of opportunity to kill him."

The Kurosaki father narrowed his eyes. "You had such a weapon and didn't use it before now? Why?" he demanded to know. "You could have stopped all of this."

Finished with removing the silver from Yuzu's heart, Ryuken began to sew her back up. "You're assuming that I could get close to Yhwach while he was guarded by those psychotic jackals? Or how about the fact that I and my grandfather are considered traitors to the Vandenreich, guaranteeing I could never just stroll in without being murdered on the spot? This was a weapon of last resort, when Yhwach had thrown away all his allies and was at his most powerful and most vulnerable."

"I see…" Isshin nodded, understanding where Ryuken was coming from. Hearing Yuzu stir beneath him, Isshin looked down and his heart soared when he saw Yuzu's eyes flutter open. "She's waking up!"

The girl opened her eyes wearily, feeling pain all over. "Dad?" she mumbled when she saw her father smiling down at her, tears of joy in his eyes. "What…what happened?"

The man sitting on her other side put a hand to her shoulder when she tried to move. "Stay still, girl. We just performed open-heart surgery to save you. You're not well enough to move around."

"Yuzu…" Isshin cried, running a hand through his daughter's soft hair. "I'm so glad you're alright. I…" Isshin sighed and shook his head. "This is all my fault. I should have told you and your siblings about your mother. About me. If I had maybe none of this would have happened."

"A wise assumption," Ryuken said scathingly, pushing his glasses up as he glared at the man.

"We're having a moment, Ryuken," Isshin threatened, "don't push it."

"Um…who are you?" Yuzu asked.

Looking down at the girl, Ryuken couldn't help but give a soft smile. Yuzu looked every bit like her mother, bringing back memories of when they lived together, when she was going to be his betrothed. "I'm an old friend of your mother," he simply said. Pulling off his blood-stained gloves, Ryuken turned to his son. "Go, Uryu. I can see you're chomping at the bit to go help your Soul Reaper friend," he said.

"Yeah, Ichigo sounds like he could use my help," Uryu said as he held the precious arrowhead in his hands. "Let's hope it'll be enough." Giving Isshin and Yuzu a nod, Uryu dashed towards the stairs leading up to the throne room.

Reaching out with her senses, Yuzu felt that Ichigo and his friends were being devastated by Yhwach. She knew that they might not survive long enough before Uryu arrived with his precious arrowhead. "Daddy, I need to help Ichigo."

"What? Are you crazy, Yuzu? You're too hurt to move!" he protested. "I'll go back Ichigo up." He turned to Ryuken. "Ryuken, you watch over-"

"Wait, Dad," Yuzu interrupted. "His Maje-I mean Yhwach, he gave me a special power. I can use that to help Ichigo."

Ryuken cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

With what strength she had left, Yuzu lifted her hand and flexed it, revealing a spirit ribbon. "I was once bonded with Yhwach's soul. The Almighty doesn't just let him see the future. It allows him to change it. That's how he's beating Ichigo. But…" her eyes showed firm resolution as she became determined to save Ichigo, "I'm going to change it back!"

To be continued


	12. Rebellion

**A.N.: This is a request by lasherluke.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Twelve: Rebellion_

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Wahrwelt; Throne Room**

Ichigo coughed up blood as Yhwach slammed him into the ground. Despite all of Ichigo's training and strength he hadn't been able to land a single blow on the man and neither had his friends been able to harm or defend themselves from the Quincy King. The Almighty made both offense and defense useless against his power. Orihime had tried over and over to fix the broken Tensa Zangetsu but Yhwach boldly claimed that the future was his and that he would never allow a future where Ichigo would be able to defend himself.

"I thought you'd put up more of a fight," Yhwach taunted, holding Ichigo up by his head. Ichigo hung limply in his grasp, the fight having been beaten out of him. Amidst the ruins of the throne room lay Orihime, Chad and Ganju, all helpless to help Ichigo from Yhwach's wrath. "I suppose I should thank you for killing time," he said.

"Guhh!" Ichigo groaned as Yhwach's grip on his skull tightened, the king hoisting him up until he was dangling off the ground.

"You asked me how much more I will take from you," Yhwach reminded. "I will take your life, Ichigo, but not before I take the lives of all you hold dear." He smiled manically as he showed Ichigo his fallen friends. "But I'll be generous, Ichigo. I'll let you chose which of your friends dies first. Will it be your kinsman, who followed you out of a sense of family?" he asked, gesturing to Ganju.

"Will it be your friend who's fought by your side for years?" Yhwach asked, pointing Ichigo at Chad.

"Or maybe…I'll kill the young girl whose heart pines for you day after day?" he asked as he pointed Ichigo at Orihime. "So go ahead, Ichigo. Tell me who you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking them away." When he saw Ichigo's flick fearfully at Orihime his evil grin grew wider. "So, the girl it-"

Ichigo was taken aback when Yhwach suddenly dropped him. Looking up, he saw the man staggering backwards. He was confused until the king turned around and saw the white ribbon connected to his back. "Yuzu!" he breathed. ' _If that's the ribbon to her Attached then…she's alive!'_

"So, you betray your king, Yuzu?!" Yhwach roared in anger. He didn't understand how he didn't see this coming but quickly realized that the Attached was beyond his ability to foresee.

Several floors below, Yuzu began to change before her father and Ryuken's eyes. Her face became half obscured in darkness, grotesque eyes opening up as she became one with Yhwach's soul. "You aren't my king!" she shouted defiantly. "You hurt my brother! I'll never forgive you!"

Ichigo rose to his feet. He found his fighting spirit again knowing that his sister was alive and that she was fighting back against the king who betrayed her. Using what little bit of his Bankai he had left, Ichigo took a swing at Yhwach. His face lit up with satisfaction when he drew blood from the man.

Gritting his teeth in fury, Yhwach held up a hand. "Don't get cocky, Ichigo. Your sister might be a parasite but the future is still mind to command."

The handle to his Bankai cracked, leading Ichigo to fear that he would use his weapon forever, remember Mayuri ominously telling him that a broken Bankai could never be fixed. However, the cracking stopped, making Yhwach growl in anger. Orihime took advantage of Yhwach's surprise and used her healing powers on Ichigo and his sword. Strength returned to Ichigo as his wounds healed and his shattered Tensa Zangetsu returned to normal. "It worked!" Orihime gasped in amazement.

Roaring in fury, Yhwach swung his sword at Ichigo. Chad, having made it to his feet, put himself between the two and protected Ichigo with his right arm shield. Yhwach meant to cut the strong teen's arm off with one blow but the Fullbringer's shield held. Ichigo leapt over Chad and slashed at Yhwach, forcing him back. Orihime healed her own self, able to fix the damage that Yhwach kept her from undoing before healing a wounded Ganju.

The final battle against the king continued. This time Yhwach was the one who was on the defensive, unable to use his powers to their fullest. Whenever he tried to alter the future to bring harm to Ichigo and his friends, Yuzu, still connected to the man via The Attached, would reverse the alteration to the correct future.

The strain was taxing on the already exhausted Yuzu but she held on with all her might. To see so many different futures and trying to focus on the present caused a great pain. Her father held her hand as she struggled against Yhwach in what felt like a battle for time itself. "Hang in there, Yuzu," Isshin said, knowing that his daughter was struggling hard.

The A Sternritter cringed and cried out in pain when Yhwach's booming voice appeared in her head. " _You think you can win? You're an ant compared to me!"_ Yhwach mocked.

"This…ant…can bite!" Yuzu defiantly retorted, struggling to breathe as she concentrated. "You…called me…a parasite. But you're…the one…who steals from others!"

" _You are but food to me. You and every one of your brethren. Your brother will die. Your father will die. Then I will take my time and destroy the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. And when I'm done with them, I will claim the World of the Living. And when I do I will make your sister suffer dearly for your betrayal."_

"You won't hurt Karin!" Yuzu shouted, her hand squeezing Isshin's hand hard. "You took me from my home! You hurt me and brainwashed me! You made me hurt my brother and then you tried to kill me! I won't let you do this to her too!"

Yhwach soon realized that having a conversation with Yuzu while in the middle of mortal combat was not the best idea. He let out a scream as Chad's El Directo hit him square in the back. He slashed at the boy, who was protected by Orihime's shield. He used the Almighty to hit him regardless but Yuzu stopped him, leaving Chad unharmed.

He released a concussive blast that sent the four teens flying. However, Ichigo's reflexes were faster than ever in his final form and he rebounded quickly. Yhwach summoned a second sword and he bladelocked with Ichigo. "Like brother, like sister," Yhwach growled. "You continue to annoy me."

"As long as you continue to hurt my family, I'll do more than annoy you!" A huge blue wave of energy erupted from Tensa Zangetsu. "Getsuga Tensho!"

The massive attack pushed Yhwach back. The king realized that without the Almighty to use against him, Ichigo was going to overpower him. Just as the thought settled into his mind, he saw Ichigo's friends appear, having recovered from being blasted away.

Ganju pulled out his weapon of last resort, a gift from his sister. "SHIBA ULTRA EXPLOSIVE FIREWORK GRENADE!"

Chad poured all his strength into his left arm and launched his attack. "EL DIRECTO!"

Her hairpins glowing, Orihime unleashed her attack alongside her friends. "Koten Zanshun!"

All three attacks hit Yhwach dead on, destroying the walls of the castle around them from the full force of the attacks. But he emerged from the dust relatively unharmed. "You think that could hurt me?!" he laughed arrogantly.

But his laughter ended when he saw Ichigo putting his bloodstained Tensa Zangetsu up to his Hollow horn, fusing it together. "Let's see if this hurts you, you bastard!" Ichigo shouted at the top of his lungs. "This is for Yuzu!"

"GESTUGA GRAN REY CERO!"

The massive crescent move hit Yhwach in his side, tearing through him like he was made of paper. Yhwach screamed and staggered backwards, dropping to his knees. Sensing his moment, Ichigo charged forward, his sword swinging backwards to take Yhwach's head. "This is the end, Yhwach!" Ichigo shouted as he closed in on the Quincy king.

"You think so?" Yhwach mocked before he showed Ichigo what was in his hand: Yuzu's Spirit Ribbon. Clenching it, his dark spiritual pressure turned it black. Floors beneath him, Yuzu gasped in horror as Yhwach took control over their bond, unable to stop him. "Go ahead, Ichigo. Kill me. But if you do…" he sneered, "You'll have killed Yuzu. I've increased the power of The Attached. Now it's not only our powers that are fused together but our very lives. Kill me if you want, but your sister goes with me!" he laughed. Even as he spoke he began to gather his strength. He was going to kill Ichigo in one blow while he was distracted.

Ichigo hesitated, knowing that he was telling the truth. He couldn't lose Yuzu again, not when he thought he already lost her at the hands of this murderer.

Yhwach saw his opportunity and rose to strike Ichigo down, a maniacal grin on his face as he swung at Ichigo.

But his attack never reached him when a silver arrow pierced his chest. Ichigo and the others gasped as the dark visage on his face disappeared, revealing the top half of Yhwach's face. The others looked behind Yhwach to see Uryu standing at the entrance. "Uryu!"

"Now, Ichigo!" Uryu shouted. "His powers are disabled! And that means so does Yuzu's!"

In a last ditch effort to save himself, Yhwach drew his original metal blade and stabbed at Ichigo. The Substitute Soul Reaper dodged the strike by a hair and punched his Bankai into his Yhwach's chest. "This is for my mother!" Ichigo shouted into Yhwach's face. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"

A silent scream left Yhwach's lips as he was cut in half by the powerful blast, his sword falling from his hand. All of his schemes and treachery had amounted to nothing now. Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Ganju and Uryu all watched as what was left of Yhwach fell onto the ground with a thud. "Is he…dead?" Orihime asked. After what they all went through she was apprehensive that the man would simply die, even from a blow like that.

Ichigo was about to nudge Yhwach's head with a toe when his remains suddenly turned black, his body turning into black liquid. "What's happening?" he asked out loud, everyone jumping back.

Uryu pushed his glasses up. "His body was kept alive by the countless souls he stole, as well as Mimihagi and the Soul King. With his life over, his body is breaking down."

Soon there was nothing left of Yhwach but black sludge, a fitting end to the treacherous king. The five made their way back down to the lower levels to let everyone know it was over. Ichigo's heart leapt when he entered the large room several floors below and saw Yuzu and his father. "Yuzu!" he shouted.

Turning her head, the younger sibling smiled warmly at her brother as he ran to her. "Ichigo, you did it," she said happily.

Kneeling down next to her, Ichigo took hold of her hand. " _We_ did it. I'd be dead if it weren't for you."

Father, daughter and son all hugged each other tightly, thankful that the nightmare was over.

"Let's go home."

 _ **A day later…  
**_ **Kurosaki House**

Karin sat on the couch curled up in a ball. She'd been miserable the past few weeks. Her entire family had gone missing. First Yuzu had vanished, Ichigo failed to return from his training camp and now her father had up and disappeared, leaving a note saying he'd be gone finding Yuzu. "Yuzu…Ichigo…Dad…" she sobbed. She looked up at the poster of her mother and wished she was here. "Mom, I wish you were here…"

Then she heard it: the sound of the front door opening.

Hopping off the couch, Karin turned to see who was coming in, kicking herself for forgetting to lock the door. Her heart soared, however, when she saw her whole family enter the house. "Ichigo! Dad! Yuzu!" she cried out.

Her ragged Sternritter uniform replaced by regular clothes, Yuzu cried tears of joy when she saw her twin sister. "Karin!"

Both twins rushed towards one another and hugged. "You're home!"

"I'm so sorry I made you worry," Yuzu said, hugging her sister tightly.

Pulling back, Karin smiled. "Welcome home, everyone."

Both Isshin and Ichigo joined in on the hug. After so much turmoil and heartache they were a family again. "Welcome home, Yuzu," Ichigo said.

Yuzu smiled as she cried, warmth filling her heart. "It's good to be home…with my family…"

The End


End file.
